Gender, Technology, and Cyborgs

By Megan Hasenwinkel

Cyborgs

Cyborgs appear often in science fiction; especially cyberpunk. Examining cyborgs, and more importantly, female cyborgs, gives many interesting insights about the author's conceptions of gender and technology. In her "Manifesto for Cyborgs," Donna Haraway states, "The main trouble with cyborgs, of course, is that they are the illegitimate offspring of militarism and patriarchal capitalism. . ." (176) And it does seem that in many cases, the cyborg is a masculine creature. The creation of a truly female cyborg appears to be a difficult task, especially for male authors.

However, she next goes on to say, "But illegitimate offspring are often exceedingly unfaithful to their origins. Their fathers, after all, are inessential." (176) "And in some cases the cyborg is unfaithful to its origin, especially when looking at the works of female authors. Later, I will look at short stories by the authors C. L. Moore and James Tiptree, Jr. Both of these women present unique views of the cyborg.

However, in the hands of male authors, the cyborg tends to keep its masculine identity. For example. the female cyborg character of Molly in William Gibson's Neuromancer, although a woman, still retains a masculine identity. Lauraine Leblanc says, ". . .Gibson has presented us with a nominally female character, but one who uses her cyborg identity not to rethink what it is to be a woman, but rather one who does little but take on a masculine role." (5) Hence, the cyborg is a popular writing tool that is used both to examine gender stereotypes and to reinforce them.