Time’s up for Bond, James Bond
James Bond uesd to be the man that I aspired to when I was young, but then I guess I was wrong.
When I was growing up James Bond was the man that I aspired to. I cannot deny that I am so jealous of the ‘Bond girls’ who are allowed to be on Bond’s side. He is handsome, he is hot, and he is irresistible. His charming body framed in nice suits which suit him; with nice hair everywhere he goes. His seductive eyes can make the girls go crazy by just staring. He drove an Aston Martin and always went a string of beautiful girls, he also has an iconic drink — a vodka martini. James Bond does have a brilliant brain. He is well versed in, pretty much, anything. This was the man that we all wanted to, but this is not all.
by Ian Fleming
After I decided to read Casino Royale, Fleming’s first Bond book of twelve, published in 1953. It makes me get to know more about Bond. I watched my first Bond movie since I was a young child; he has been one of cinema’s most popular heroes for decades. I didn’t know if I was too young or in the movie shows no other side of James. But anyway, the novel brings me to another level, and now I will be going to show why Bond is no longer my ideal type, not even the man in my sight.
James Bond is a misogynist.
“Woman were for recreation. On a job, they got in the way and fogged things up with sex and hurt feelings and all the emotional baggage they carried around.”
— Narrator, Chapter 4
Misogyny refers specifically to a hatred of women, and his misogyny clearly expresses in Casino Royale. Bond doesn’t like to work with women. He is upset at first when he knows that his Number Two is a woman. He believed that the woman will make things unnecessarily complicated, and a woman’s place is in the home, not in the office. He sees women as just beautiful things; besides, he thinks of women “for recreation” as a sex worker. Even Vesper Lynd, whom Bond falls in love and desires to marry her later, he accepted her because of the beauty of her. He spends more time thinking about sex with Vesper than the mission. Although Vesper appears to truly love Bond, she commits suicide to keep him safe, Bond still shows his heartless and coldly saying “The bitch is dead now”
James Bond’s characters create an image of toxic masculinity.
Bond’s masculinity is inextricably linked to his active libido and desire for sex. He prides himself on his masculinity, and he believes men are naturally superior to women. He doesn’t like jewelry because he thinks decorations and this beautiful item is only suitable for women. He avoided all the feminine anythings, like flowers Including relationships. Toxic masculinity prohibits men from participating in acts of care that reinforce our human connections, interdependence, and dependencies.
“It is not only the immediate agony, but also the thought that your manhood is being gradually destroyed and that at the end, if you will not yield, you will no longer be a man.”
— Le Chiffre, Chapter 17
He had the idea that the main thing that conveyed manhood was the genitals. Le Chiffre’s brutal assault and saying that he would ruin his masculinity made him feel utterly terrible. He felt disheartened as to why life had to be faced with this situation until he was a pop-up idea that he wanted to quit out from 007. He thought that without the genitals, his life would be nothing because it was like the center of his sense of self. It would be nice if he would die rather than lose his masculinity. Also, Le Chiffre understood Bond’s weakness, so he said that “you will no longer be a man.”
Of course, there are many corners of James Bond — a fictional character, which created by Ian Fleming that waiting for you to find out. People nowadays have changed by age, and everyone is educated about any social issues all the time. James Bond certainly won’t stay dead, but only you can decide how you recognize him in which way of your memory.
Ms. Chatwadee Srisatchanakul
Student ID. 61410655, The third-year student, Bachelor degree of Faculty of Education in English, Naresuan University.
22/10/2020
