Ashley Armstrong
Professor Day
HSOC 141
28 June 2012
The Portrayal of Women in “The Walking Dead”
In the past decade, few cable television shows have enjoyed as much commercial and critical success as “The Walking Dead”. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, “The Walking Dead” consistently draws high Nielsen ratings (generating on average between 7-8 million viewers per episode); its season two finale was “the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history”[1]. The series also has enjoyed critical success [2, 3], receiving a Writers Guild Of America and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series Drama [4,5]. But the series is not without its critics. In particular, “The Walking Dead” has drawn considerable criticism for its negative treatment and portrayal of women. These critics contend that even though “The Walking Dead” includes a variety of female characters (which is not common for a science fiction/drama series), the series tends to portray these women characters in negative, stereotypical ways. Some of its harshest critics argue that the series’ treatment of women has significantly set back the female empowerment movement; others go further and conclude that the “The Walking Dead” is blatantly misogynistic, “robbing women of (their) individuality, humanity and dignity.”[6]
In this paper, I will examine how the writers of “The Walking Dead” have elected to portray its four female lead characters — Lori, Andrea, Maggie, and Carol. I will discuss specific scenes involving these four female characters. I will show that the critics of “The Walking Dead” are correct. The writers (so far, at least) have elected to depict these four female characters in historically negative fashion. Apparently, the writers of “The Walking Dead” seem to believe women are: (1) hysterical by nature; (2) emotionally immature; and (3) burden with a complete inability to cope with grief.
The Stereotypical Hysterical, Irrational Female
Gary Nunn, in his article “The Feminisation of Madness is Crazy” he explores the origin of the close relationship between females and hysteria and asserts that “(t)hese etymologies have cemented a polarisation of the female and male mental states: men being historically associated with rationality, straightforwardness and logic; women with unpredictable emotions, outbursts and madness.”[4] The writers of “The Walking Dead” seem to embody this idea, and believe that women are irrational and hysterical. No character better demonstrates this view than Lori Grimes, the wife of the series’ main character and protagonist, Rick Grimes, and the mother to the main child in the series, Carl Grimes. Indeed, the series begins with a negative depiction of Lori. Rick Grimes and his partner, Shane Walsh, are discussing the differences between men and women. Rick quickly explains that Lori is impossible to get along with:
Rick: Everything I say makes her impatient, like she doesn’t want to hear it anymore. It’s like she’s pissed at me all the time and I don’t know why. The last thing she said this morning was, ‘I wonder if you even care about us anymore’. She said that in front of our kid! Imagine going to school with that in your head. The difference between men and women is that I would never say something that cruel to her, especially in front of Carl.
This depiction of Lori provides the first glimpse of how the writers view women. Lori is the stereotypical nagging wife. She doesn’t appreciate the sacrifices made by her caring, hard-working, noble husband. Even worse, she is willing to emotionally torture her son to punish her husband, which makes her both irrational and hysterical (perhaps even borderline crazy).
To illustrate this stereotypical negative perception of women, the writers of “The Walking Dead” continually contrast the women’s weaknesses against a man’s strengths. Going back to the hysterical Lori, the writers reinforce her weakness by comparing her behavior to Rick’s calm, strong behavior. For example, at the conclusion of the first episode of Season 2, Carl (Lori and Rick’s son) is accidentally shot by a hunter. Fortunately, he makes it into the care of an inexperienced, yet well-meaning veterinarian, Hershel Greene. Upon hearing the news of her son’s critical injury, Lori panics (as any parent would). However, the writers don’t stop there. They send Lori into a hysterical rage. She tells Rick that it would be better for Carl to die from his injuries than survive in a world dominated by zombies. These writers then show Rick rejecting Lori’s comment and then questioning whether Lori is sane. In many ways, Rick’s reaction to Lori’s comment is reminiscent of Rick and Lori’s marital struggles before the zombie apocalypse — Lori is the irrational and hysterical parent who is quick to harm her children, whereas Rick is the stable, strong parent who truly knows what is best for his son.
The writers also make sure to show the viewers that Lori’s irrationality isn’t confined to her family interactions. Indeed, Lori is a very unpleasant character in general. She doesn’t hesitate to irrationally lash out at other characters (often other females) on a consistent basis. When Lori becomes pregnant, she worries that Shane may be the father. The writers have Lori consult with Rick, revealing her fears that Shane is mentally unstable. She even suggests that Rick should kill Shane. When Rick kills Shane (out of self-defense and not following Lori’s suggested murderous plot), Lori begins hysterically screaming at Rick for killing Shane — even though Rick did so out of self-defense and just a few hours after Lori suggested that he kill Shane. The writers clearly want the viewers to see Lori as irrational, hysterical, and perhaps insane.
Overall, Lori’s characterization in “The Walking Dead” is downright offensive. Indeed, the writers seem determined to portray Lori as essentially a man’s worst nightmare: she is irrational, hysterical, and selfish, with a willingness to destroy all those close to her, including her child. Lori is, without question, the stereotypical hysterical and irrational female.
The Stereotypical Immature, Selfish Woman
Another important theme for the writers of “The Walking Dead” is that women are helplessly immature and selfish, especially in their interactions with other women. This is best illustrated by examining how the writers opted to depict Andrea and Maggie. The writers first introduce the viewers to Andrea in Season 1. Andrea is a former civil rights lawyer who, along with her younger sister, Amy, is one of the initial survivors. Amy is roughly 12 years younger than Andrea. Although they are sisters, Andrea tends to treat Amy in almost a maternal way. Initially, the writers give Andrea significant strength. She pulls a gun on Rick after he compromises the safety of the group, she helps the group escape a heard of zombies in Atlanta, she is the first one to question the distribution of labor within the camp, and she is the only woman who stands up to Ed, Carol’s abusive husband:
Andrea: I’m really beginning to question the division of labor around here. Can someone explain to me how the women ended up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?
After this promising start, the writers begin encumbering Andrea with more negative stereotypes. It doesn’t take long for the writers of “The Walking Dead” to turn Andrea into the stereotypical irrational, selfish female, especially during emotional conflict. For example, the first major conflict for Andrea occurs towards the end of Season 1 when a rogue group of zombies attacks the group’s home base, killing Amy. Faced with the loss of her sister, the writers portray Andrea as listless and unresponsive. They then have her behave belligerently and rudely. Ultimately, they make Andrea downright irritable and hostile.
It is important to note that, as they did with Lori, the writers of “The Walking Dead” illustrated Andrea’s weaknesses through a male contrast. Specifically, the immature Andrea is paired with Dale, a stable man. In many ways, Dale is a father-like figure who is consistently kind to Andrea. But notwithstanding Dale’s kindness, the writers cause Andrea to treat Dale cruelly. She repeatedly manipulates Dale’s feelings, knowing that he views her as a daughter and taunts him for being a weak person and trying to take care of her. Contrastingly, the writers consistently portray Dale as a victim, a caring father figure who provides for Andrea, even though she consistently rejects his noble efforts. In the end, viewers sympathize with Dale while concluding that Andrea is selfish and cruel.
Andrea’s immaturity isn’t limited to her interactions with Dale. When Andrea expresses a desire to learn how to properly shoot a gun, she begins taking lessons (from a man, of course). But Andrea isn’t a quick student. In fact, the writers portray Andrea as clumsy with guns. In one specific case, a bloody and injured Daryl (a productive man) walks out of the forest and Andrea mistakenly believes that he is a zombie. When she decides to shoot him, Dale warns her to wait until the zombie is more visible, but she is too immature to listen. Instead, Andrea shoots Daryl, nearly killing him.
Another immature female character is Maggie Greene, Hershel’s eldest daughter. The writers of “The Walking Dead” initially treat Maggie favorably by having her serve as one of her father’s most important helpers. But even though her character is initially treated favorably, the writers soon turn Maggie into just another immature woman. And, once again, these writers illustrate Maggie’s character flaw by contrasting them against a man’s strengths. This time, the writers use Glenn, a young, humorous Asian boy who serves as the group’s go-to scout.
The Maggie-Glenn relationship differs somewhat from the other male-female relationships in the series in one critical way: Maggie does not seem to rely on Glenn. In fact, Maggie saves his life on a number of occasions, and Glenn is attracted to her many skills. However, Glenn and Maggie’s relationship suffers from its fair share of conflict and reaches two main hitches. Glenn and Maggie’s first disagreement occurs when Glenn reveals an important secret about Hershel to the group. Maggie feels betrayed by Glenn. However, instead of handling this conflict in a mature fashion, the writers cause Maggie to behave very immaturely. Like a child, Maggie literally ignores Glenn for quite some time, refusing to even look at him. A second fight occurs when Glenn freezes during a battle with violent outsiders. Instead of blaming Glenn’s behavior on personal weakness, the writers have Glenn conclude that his impotence during battle is due to feelings for Maggie. In essence, Maggie becomes the scapegoat for Glenn’s incompetence, even though she did nothing wrong.
The writer’s portrayal of Maggie is particular unfortunate. In a television series rampant with sexism and stereotypes, Maggie Greene initially stood out as a bright spot among a sea of weakened and terribly flawed females. However, her character’s strength is effectively compromised by her childish and immature behavior when interacting with Glenn. She consistently toys with his emotions, and shifts from warm to hostile in the blink of an eye. Maggie wants Glenn when he is emotionally unavailable, yet scorns his efforts when he tries to develop a relationship with her. From ruining Glenn’s clothing to making rude jokes at his expense, Maggie is downright cruel to Glenn at times. Her hot-and-cold attitude towards Glenn enforces the stereotype of women as being selfish and immature in relationships.
Not surprisingly, the writers of “The Walking Dead” made sure to portray women as particularly immature when interacting with other women. They depict Lori as a generally unpleasant woman who doesn’t hesitate to lash out at other females on a consistent basis. Lori also becomes Andrea’s main critic, claiming that Andrea’s is not contributing to the group. Lori and Maggie also do not get along. Following a trip to the drug store in which Glenn and Maggie almost died, Maggie lashes out at Lori and claims that her selfish actions are jeopardizing other peoples’ lives. In stark contrast to the mature, reliable men who populate the series, the women in “The Walking Dead” are consistently shown as immature and selfish.
The Stereotypical Unable-to-Deal-with-Grief Female
The final negative stereotype given the women in “The Walking Dead” is the inability to effectively cope with pressure or grief. This weakness was particularly acute when women face the death or injury of a loved one. For example, when Amy dies, Andrea demonstrates no ability to cope with her sister’s death, choosing instead to be withdrawn and emotionally distant from the group. Similarly, when Carl, Lori’s son, becomes serious injured, Lori openly concludes that he would be better off dead. However, the writers save their most offensive depictions for Carol Peletier.
Carol Peletier is one of the rare characters in “The Walking Dead” who actually benefits from the zombie apocalypse. Before the apocalypse, and for a short time thereafter, Carol was a passive victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, Ed. To the writers’ credit, Ed is portrayed as a fundamentally despicable human being. In almost every scene in which he is featured, Ed is either beating Carol or emotionally abusing her. It is also hinted to that Sophia, Carol and Ed’s daughter, is a victim of Ed’s abusive nature. Fortunately for Carol and Sophia, Ed does not survive very long and perishes in a zombie attack.
Once Carol is emancipated from Ed, the writers understandably depict her as passive, skittish, and generally inactive within the group. One thing that she is passionate about, however, is her daughter, Sophia. Unfortunately, toward the beginning of Season 2, Sophia is lost in the woods after being chased by a rogue zombie. Carol initially blames herself for Sophie’s disappearance, but she soon turns her anger on Rick. However, the writers make sure the viewers see Rick as a victim of Carol’s irrationality. Although Rick did nothing wrong (he directed Sophia to hide in a small crevice and not move until help came while he courageously drew the zombie away), Carol inexplicably blames him nevertheless.
Once Sophia disappears, the writers portray Carol as completely shattered and unable to cope with this loss. Carol essentially shuts down, spending all of her time crying in the group’s RV and avoiding interaction with any of the group members. Even though the group maintains optimism that they will find Sophia, Carol remains depressed.
Eventually, the writers allow Carol to slowly adjust to the loss of Sophia. However, they make sure Carol’s progress is limited. Indeed, apart from crying, the only tasks Carol can do are cleaning the RV and cooking a dinner for the group. Apart from these two events, Carol is entirely useless — as the writers apparently believe women would be in a worldwide tragedy.
As a final blow to women, once Carol discovers that Sophia has been turned into a zombie, and after Carol witnesses her daughter’s death, the writers make sure Carol becomes dependent on a man (Daryl), since they apparently believe that women have no ability to deal with loss. The writers show Carol making virtually no attempt at contributing to the group outside of doing domestic tasks. In sum, the writers make sure Carol becomes nothing more than the stereotypical unable-to-deal-with-grief female.
Final Thoughts
Although “The Walking Dead” is an entertaining and riveting drama, it suffers from a quite obvious case of sexism. The main female characters are written to be weak, hysterical, immature, and unstable, especially in crisis. This negative portrayal of women in “The Walking Dead” is unfortunate because the series had the potential of changing the historically negative depiction of women in media. It has long been argued that crises bring out the best and worst in us, accenting our strengths while at the same time exploiting our weaknesses. “The Walking Dead” is, by definition, the embodiment of crisis, as mankind is facing extinction. However, instead of using this ultimate crisis to recast women, the writers of “The Walking Dead” embraced historical stereotypes, in two general, consistent ways.
First, the women in “The Walking Dead” are shown to be extremely emotional. This tendency to fall apart at the drop of the pin serves as the main reason that the men generally tend to leave the women out of decision-making and other stressful situations. The men go so far as to justify their actions by claiming that “the women do not want to be involved anyway.” And their reaction isn’t entirely unjustifiable. Almost all of the main females aren’t capable of handling stress; Lori is portrayed to be very difficult to get along and too headstrong, Carol is too emotionally damaged following Sophia’s situation, Andrea is not knowledgeable enough and emotionally stable, and Maggie is not mature enough. Additionally, all of the women are shown “giving up” and quitting at one point or another over the course of the series. Even Maggie, who is made out to be one of the strongest most capable women, suffers a breakdown during the final zombie battle and survives only with Glenn’s assistance. Shane, Rick, and Daryl suffer similar character trials, but none of them every throw up their hands and give up completely. This seems to be a reaction reserved for female roles. Overall, these generalizations are in line with many assumptions that males hold about women, and further the perception that although women may occasionally show signs of strength, they are not consistently stable enough to weather long periods of conflict and stress.
Second, “The Walking Dead” asserts that the main obstacle facing women today are females themselves. The women in the series have a very difficult time interacting and getting along with each other. Andrea faces constant disapproval from Lori on her attempts to better herself, and most of the female camp members seem to shun Maggie, viewing and treating her as an outsider. To me, this is a sneaky, yet very damaging way of undermining female power. Asserting that women are the ones who are limiting themselves, men absolve themselves of any responsibility. The majority of anti-feminist events in “The Walking Dead” occur without the influence of men and the blame is instead placed on the shoulders of the females.
Notwithstanding the disappointment I’ve felt in seeing how the writers of “The Walking Dead” have chosen to portray women, I remain somewhat hopeful that they will reverse course. The very last scenes of Season 2 revealed a hooded character wielding a katana and leading two armless zombies. Although this is not revealed explicitly to the audience, this character is Michonne, a female warrior who is quite popular within the comic book series [9]. I am hopeful that in introducing Michonne, the writers will use her as a catalyst for a more reasonable and positive portrayal of women in the series.
Figure 1: Michonne (Danai Gurira)
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