Chia 1 Chia Soon Hann Justin Ian Dr.

Sean Miller HL 8024: Cyborgs, Vampires, and Drag Queens: Posthumanism and Literature 30 March 2012 Molly Millions as the Absolute Other: A Futile Rewiring of the Feminine Self in Neuromancer In William Gibsons Neuromancer, the established humanist belief that men and women are essentially different is challenged by the hybridity of Molly Millions. Molly embodies both masculine and feminine traits in her physical and emotional makeup. She is a masculine bad-ass hero (Gibson 205) on account of her cybernetic enhancements and aggressive demeanor. She is also a sexually charged female who is objectified and fetishized by others. As Molly is a female, [s]he is defined and differentiated with reference to man . . . she is the Other (de Beauvoir 16) in regards to the men in Neuromancer like Peter Riviera. The world of Neuromancer is ruled by a male technocracy supported by the alliance of patriarchy and science (Cavallaro 118), further exacerbating the gulf between man and woman. The concept of the Other prefigures heavily in my argument that while Molly is able to overcome the gendered role which patriarchy has prescribed for herthrough an adoption of male traits like aggressionshe is unable to bridge the gender divide. In a futile attempt to conflate and reconcile both the masculine and feminine spheres within herself, Molly is rendered as an absolute Other to both men and women. Simone de Beauvoir writes in The Second Sex of an oppressive dynamic that exists between men and women, where [m]aster and slave . . . are united by a reciprocal need, in this case economic, which does not liberate the slave (19). Molly embodies the slave in this masterslave dynamic; she is driven to satisfy the whims of men to benefit economically. Economic wealth is intrinsically tied to liberty in this master-slave dynamic, and so Molly prostitutes

Chia 2 herself in order to pay for the body modifications that may allow her a greater chance of gaining wealth and freedom (Cavallaro 112). This entails an implantation of a cut-out chip (Gibson 142) that ensure[s] she cannot be aware of . . . what is done to her by her clients (Cavallaro 123). Voluntarily passive at a time of absolute intimacy and vulnerability, this subjugation of Mollys sexuality alludes to her status as mans Other, as she manifest[s] . . . complicity (de Beauvoir 20) towards patriarchal domination. Mollys adoption of masculinity manifests itself in the form of fearsome augmentations and enables her to progress from being the subservient female prostitute to the aggressor conventionally associated with strong male figures like [Bruce] Lee and [Clint] Eastwood (Gibson 205). Ironically, Molly proceeds to whores herself out figuratively, as a hired thug of Armitage. Her body is still at the disposal of men for a price. That Molly describes herself as a [w]orking girl (Gibson 30) a phrase commonly associated with prostitution in both her previous and current job alludes to the notion that she is still in thrall to patriarchy, a notion that she seems to be acutely aware of with her usage of such a connotative phrase. Molly is still mans Other, with or without retractable blades. Mollys unsuccessful quest to be mans equal has another downside: the reinforcement and escalation of her status as the Other of not just man but woman too. Molly stands apart from the traditional role of feminine subservience as prescribed by patriarchy due to her appropriation of masculine traits. Her hybridity undercuts her ability to connect with her femininity as she consists of parts of each [sex] and thus is neither (de Beauvoir 25). Peter Rivieras sexualization and objectification of Molly is amplified because of her hybridity; he views her as a femme fatale . . . not just attractive and dangerous but attractive because she is dangerous (Henthorne 54). Riviera incorporates Mollys hybridity in his showpiece, The Doll, fetishizing her as a sexual killing machinean entity composed of both masculine aggression

Chia 3 and feminine sexualityas his projection of her rends him with her blades while they engage in sexual intercourse. That the reader is reminded that [the projection] wasnt Molly; it was Molly as Riviera imagined her (Gibson 135) alludes to mans ability to [reduce women] to infinitely malleable psychic debris (Cavallaro 108). Man is thus able to reduce woman to whatever he desires. Ultimately, the humanist notion that men and women are fundamentally different is strengthened through Mollys failure to transcend her status as mans Other. Her appropriation of masculinity results in an erosion of her femininity rather than a reconciliation of the male and female. Molly leaves Case at the end of Neuromancer because she is wired (Gibson 257) to avoid the comforts of domesticitythe dominant female sphere of influence (Cavallaro 184) as it [takes] the edge off [her] game (Gibson 257). This suggests that Molly has chosen the path of masculinity over femininity even though she is ultimately powerless within a social structure that will only accommodate her as a ruthless mercenary (Cavallaro 93). She is thus in a state of Limbo in regards to her gender (Henthorne 54). The failure to reconcile or transcend the gender divide has resulted in Molly being the absolute Other to both man and woman.

Chia 4 Works Cited Cavallaro, Dani. Cyberpunk & Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William Gibson. London: The Athlone Press, 2000. Print. de Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. Trans. H. M. Parshley. London: Vintage, 1989. Print. Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 2000. Print. Henthorne, Tom. William Gibson: A Literary Companion. North Carolina: McFarland, 2011. Print.