Social Identities

“When I think about how much of my life has revolved around men I can hardly imagine the great silence” (73). Katha Pollitt cannot escape the magnitude that males have on her. They obsess her time; they occupy her thoughts; they create her identity. Katha’s dilemma is not a biological construct; it is a social construct—the patriarchal society. In this case, the dominant male forces the subjugated female to identify herself only through him. His strengths are all her weaknesses, and all her strengths are merely compliments to his awesomeness. Katha’s identities are filtered through man’s socially constructed identity.

Now, Katha’s identity relies solely on another. Is this because “people are always telling women they can’t live without a man? Maybe they say this so often because something so visible untrue needs to be constantly reinforced” (79). I would argue yes. The unfortunate side effect of social constructions is their constant subtle reinforcement. Katha finds herself quite capable of self-reliance. She pays her bills; she feeds and clothes herself; she is a published author. However, her Driver’s Ed instructor, Ben, is her “boyfriend.”

His role dictates her identity. She is a woman who cannot drive; she has to rely on men. Thus, Ben must fill the dominant slot in Katha’s identity equation. He evaluates Katha, and every time she fails, he tells her what to do. She follows his commands, but still does it incorrectly. Katha’s constructed relationship with Ben is ultimately supposed to result in a payoff, a certificate, a license. Just like her marriage, Katha is being tested by a man to be deemed worthy. Her acceptance by a man leads to her social constructed identity—needing a man’s approval—to be neatly slotted in a feminine identity. (3-4)

Katha’s predicament reveals an insight into all social constructed identities. The identity is not created from the self; however, social identities are created by another’s projection of what our identity should be. Even Katha’s feminist identity, which we would assume severs her ties from the patriarchal society, is dependent on a demonized male figure. Katha can survive by herself, but her male created identity cannot.