The Femme Fatale in American Literature By Ghada Sasa

In my analysis of the femme fatale in American naturalism, I also examine the role the writer plays in the formation of this figure. In the representation of the femme fatale figure in American naturalism, it is typical that both the male and female writers portray individuals living within imprisoned walls of heredity and environment. Moreover, both male and female writers show individuals struggling to break free. Yet, despite the common ground shared by the authors I have chosen for this work, there are differences between the writings of the male authors and the writings of the female authors.

The male authors represent the femme fatale characters as victims who gradually turn into victimizers, but they represent the male characters primarily as the victim of the femme fatale. Throughout the chapters, I point out how the femme fatale is formed, but I also focus on the effects the femme fatale is producing on herself and on others. Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser, for example, lay emphasis on the imprisonment of McTeague and Hurstwood not only in the tangled web of heredity and environment, but also in the tangled web that the femme fatale creates for these men. Thus, the male writers show men doubly imprisoned, and the amalgamation of heredity, environment, and the spell the femme fatale creates brings about the male charcters’ degeneration and ultimate destruction.

Reversibly, women authors approach the femme fatale issue from a different perspective. Yes, women are constricted because of the effects of heredity and environment. But they also have to deal with the constraints of living within a patriarchal culture and society. This is especially evident in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. As a result of her imprisonment within the patriarchal domain, Edna seeks an escape.