Men and Women

Second Place requires us to think closely about gender, because its protagonist’s thinking on this issue is inconsistent. M’s grievances run in two directions: she complains about the advantages that men enjoy, and she worries about her inadequacy as a woman. She holds on to absolute notions of femininity and masculinity, even while trying to break free of gender stereotypes. M’s critique of male privilege sits uneasily alongside her low valuation of women (including herself), but both come together in her belief that “everything would have been better – would have been right, would have been how it ought to be – had I been a boy” (12).

M refuses to embrace her female identity, instead claiming to be a misfit, “having never felt all that womanly” (11). “I’m not the kind of woman who intuitively understands or sympathises with other women,” she explains...