Breaking Gender Stereotypes in Edith Nesbit's The Raiway Children

Abstract

Gender stereotypes are a form of assessment and belief in society towards characteristics that are considered appropriate for women and men. These gender stereotypes are not only found in everyday life, but also in literary works, namely novels. This study aims to analyze the existence of gender stereotypes in the novel The Railway Children written by Edith Nesbit in 1906. In addition, this study also uses feminist theory as a tool to examine female characters in destroying gender stereotypes in society. The data in this study are in the form of dialogues from the characters in the novel that contain elements of gender stereotypes. The method used is a qualitative descriptive method. The results of this study show the main character, Roberta, who tries to destroy the gender stereotypes that are attached to women at that time.