The concept of the antihero is central to both Jerusalem and The Wasp Factory. By exploring their identities, the writers expose issues related to the society their protagonists are surrounded by. In his modern, realist work, Butterworth creates Johnny Byron, a Romani traveler who, despite being perceived as a gypsy drug dealer by outsiders, is a much more complex character with a strong sense of identity and morality. By juxtaposing these two sides of his protagonist, Butterworth asks important questions about British culture, from how fatherhood and masculinity are viewed, to the possibility that there is a social system that predetermines the roles that people play. Banks introduces us to Frank, "a sadistic teenager", victim of complex psychological manipulation, in his "gothic horror story" to challenge social norms by asking what exactly constitutes sanity and whether it is relative to the person, and exploring relationships between gender, sex and identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A character's isolation has a powerful influence in the development of the antihero - Both settings surrounding the characters are cut off from the rest of conventional society. Butterworth immerses Johnny in a green world; a "Midsummer Night's Dream" type refuge that, while providing him with a place where he feels a sense of belonging, plays its role in isolating him from society. Banks takes the idea of ​​physical isolation even further, as Frank is literally cut off from mainland Scotland. The island setting also provides him with a sense of belonging, as Frank asserts his dominance over it in a creepy and disturbing way. With allusions to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein giving The Wasp Factory constant undertones of transgression and monstrous behavior, as Frank wanders his island home in "The Sacrifice Poles," we begin to see how meticulously controlled childhood conditions have transformed into a real-life monster. , acting only on his innate desires. Frank's mental disconnection means that he sees the island as his kingdom and, in turn, has developed a god complex about the life that inhabits it. This is demonstrated not only by his murders, but by the playful manner in which they are carried out; Frank names the locations on the island, "The Skull Grounds" and "Bomb Circle" in honor of the lives he lived there, which creates a parallel reality, like that of a child's horrible imaginary game. While Frank actively responds to his surroundings, manipulating the nature around him for his own mundane pleasures, Byron creates his own world according to the stereotype he allows himself to fall into. Johnny is physically isolated from society, he claims that “This is Rooster's Wood. I'm Rooster Byron”, with this possessive and reiterative language that makes it clear that he feels a strong sense of ownership towards the wood he chose to build his house. However, perhaps ironically, although Johnny may believe that it is this separation that sets him apart in a positive way from the rest of society and even contributes to his heroic image, it ultimately leads to his downfall. Not only does this lead to him being seen by society as a "drunk drug dealer who befriends underage girls and destroys any pub that hasn't barred him", but his eviction leads to the end of Johnny's reign as a local legend. Unlike Frank, who manipulates his surroundings, Johnny creates an environment that defines him as a person. The stage directions at the beginning of the first act describe the woodland clearing in a state of disrepair with "a moldy old sofa stand[ing] on theporch deck". A lot of rubbish. An old hand-operated air raid siren, the props themselves and the way they are described suggest negligence, furthermore, the way the captions are written, in broken and incomplete sentences, reflects the fact that although Johnny's outward attitude appears indifferent, his situation is profoundly unstable. Both writers disconnect their protagonists from the social norms of a conventional world by creating conceptual structures, alternative mental states through which their characters perceive the world. and the people around them are very different from Johnny's state of self-deception, in a way infantilizing parts of Frank's personality, giving him a certain naivety in the way he enthusiastically recounts his "adventures". , Banks encourages an uncomfortable empathy on the part of his readers; further complicating the concept of the antihero actions is limited due to an upbringing beyond his control - just like that of Frankenstein. monster. This results in a narcissistic lack of empathy, shown by Frank's creation of his "Wasp Factory". In a review of the opera adaptation of the novel, Howe argues that “For Frank, [the wasp factory is] an instrument of divination; for us it is a searing illustration of a worldview in which time and life are machines that produce ruin.' showing that Frank's creation is a symbol of his attitude towards time and life; harmful attitudes both internally and for the life around him. Frank perceives his actions through the heavily deluded eyes of someone afflicted with a mental illness resulting from an early childhood identity crisis. The idea that there is no official documentation of Frank's birth suggests, from the beginning, an unstable sense of self. He says, in an emotional tone, how “I have never been recorded. I have no birth certificate, no social security number, nothing that says I'm alive or ever existed. Banks lays the foundations of a life destined for transgression; if Frank's very existence represents a broken law, we cannot expect him to respect social norms - laws enacted by governments with a very clear sense of morality and purpose. Butterworth creates a mental illness in which his protagonist is unable to distinguish between truth and fantasy. Johnny's elaborate lies are directed not only at those around him, but at his own conscious reason. While this self-deception may perhaps have begun simply as a coping mechanism – an escape from reality – through the creation of this world, “Johnny is building a legend and myth of his own origins”3, justifying transgressive actions. of social norms by naming himself the hero of the stories he tells. These blurred lines between truth and imagination mean that his sense of identity depends largely on his own anecdotes. This self-inflicted state of mind is exposed around issues of paternal care. Johnny tells us about his conception through an almost blasphemous anecdote in which he claims to have been conceived when his father, in the act of adultery, is hit by a 'slap bang in the love-bells' blow which, through some fantastic scenes, translates into the fertilization of his mother. Once again, the antihero's very existence is transgressive; also dependent on the violation of social laws. Perhaps Johnny sees this as an excuse for his own behavior; which is no surprise that his responsibilities as a fatherhave been "evaded and denied"3. However, Phillips argues that "this anecdote seems to give both father and son a stature that transcends a sordid and unheroic reality, making both as fanatical as the story that creates them"3; Johnny adapts his sense of identity and purpose to fit his heritage. Butterworth's exploration of his protagonist shows how, although Johnny may appear to be breaking social rules, he largely keeps himself within the boundaries set for him by a classist society. It is almost as if, by adapting his actions to the legal system, he abandons his own identity, crossing a line that the legal system itself creates. Marky is the embodiment of Johnny's greatest fears and internal struggles, whose appearance constantly raises problems surrounding Byron's identity. Phillips sees Marky as the "modern continuation of the Byron dynasty"3, plagued by hostile attitudes because of his father's reputation. When Dawn describes how “Marky comes home every day during the flood. Scratches. Bruises. The handle on her bag broke off. «Your father doesn't pay taxes. Your father is a Gippone.' ”, for a moment Johnny's view of his situation becomes less distorted; although the outward denial remains in the observation "That boy will be just fine", Butterworth abandons the characteristic humor with which Johnny deals with embarrassing situations, suggesting that there is an element of parenting that gives him pause; perhaps it is the pride in Byron's bloodline that means he is afraid of corrupting his son, or the fact that for the first time he is confronted with the negative effects of the identity he is outwardly proud of. Banks also explores the paternal role in Byron's life. development of his own identity and how a single male role model and lack of maternal care had an immense impact on his protagonist. Frank 2's "strangely ritualistic killing of animals and grandiose pleasure in seeking prophecies in his wasp factory" shows an amplified reflection of his father's obsessive nature. Although Frank claims to be able to "see [his] father's obsession for what it is," it is obvious that being forced to learn "the height...the area and volume of almost every part of the house "had a profound impact on one's behavior. However, not only does Frank's father shape Frank's psychological state, but he also takes control of his son's sex by feeding him hormones. This is perhaps one of the major issues addressed by Bank that sparked outrage from his early readers and critics; In 1984, the issue of transsexuality had very little visibility and was still considered by many to be a transgression of social norms. However, while most modern readers would accept Frank as a transgender man, the fact that it was not a conscious choice for him remains transgressive, not just of social norms, but of the boundaries of human rights. However, in the final chapter, when he reflects on whether the realization of his true gender has, in a sense, killed his former self, Frank, he concludes that "I am still myself; I am still the same person with the same memories and the same actions done, the same (small) successes, the same (appalling) crimes in my name,” concluding that gender is not an intrinsic part of identity. it is defined by their prejudices; sexism in particular, is explored in contrasting ways by both writers. While in Jerusalem, the source of sexism is the objectification of women and examples of toxic masculinity, which lead to the emancipation of male characters, Banks shows Frank and his father as extreme misogynists, who openly express their contempt for femininity and everything it represents. Frank explainsthat his father's "little experiment" [was] a way to diminish - perhaps remove altogether - the influence of the woman around him as [he] grew up" which, in turn, resulted in the ironic misogyny of Frank. “Frank delves into male chauvinism, seeing women as the stereotype of the “weaker sex.”” 2 claiming that “women…are weak and stupid and live in the shadow of men and are nothing compared to them" because of his naivety; his only experience with women comes from "watching hundreds... of films and television programs". This could be interpreted as Bank's criticism of the way women were presented as "trembling victims" in the media Frank's experience of them seems to be just that; from his point of view, "they get raped, or their loved ones die, and they fall apart, they go crazy and commit suicide, or they just waste away until they die." 'sexual objectification as a way to assert his dominance within. his social group. Although he sometimes adds something more satiricalIn every aspect of the work, Johnny's jokes often sexualize women and his heroism, at least in the eyes of his followers, depends on this "dominance". The use of colloquial terms and taboo language in describing his experiences with women, such as "I swear to Christ I was fucking her just last June" accentuates the derogatory nature. However, although Johnny presents overt masculinity, his fierce protection of Phaedra from her abusive stepfather shows that he is aware of and against the concept of sex being used as both a physical and psychological weapon. This makes his sexual identity ambiguous; on the one hand, he sees no harm in objectification to the extent that some viewers might argue that it borders on the predatory, yet he seems to strongly disagree with this trait in others, namely Troy, to the point where he fights for this belief in 'objectification. final act. Perhaps there is a progression of her views as the play intensifies, or perhaps this conflicted mentality simply embodies the state of society's attitude towards the objectification of women. Just as Johnny's overtly masculine approach to his sexuality appears integral to his admirability, at least in his eyes. friends, Frank's sexual repression is represented as a fundamental part of his identity to the point of becoming the motivation for his actions. It is this focus on sexuality as an intrinsic part of their identity that distinguishes antiheroes from their secondary characters. As a result of his father's experiment, Frank considers himself sexually deficient. Bank's protagonist believes that sexual prowess defines masculinity and that dominance is central to such prowess, reflected in his ritual manipulation of nature. Without the organs necessary to necessarily perform the male part in the procreative act, Frank claims to have developed the Freudian phenomenon of "penis envy", considering himself inferior to those who have male genitalia. Furthermore, he believes himself incapable of procreating, which leads to a further sense of deficiency, which drives him to aim to destroy every trace of this concept in the world around him, killing three of his young relatives and 'sacrificing' innocent animals. However, Frank only reaches this self-realization once the jealousy has dispersed; explaining how “my victims would be those most recently produced by the one act of which I was incapable; my equals in that, despite possessing the potential to generate, they were no more capable at that point of performing the required act than I was." Rather than let his personality lack something, Frank's apparent lack of sexuality,, 2009.