Subverting the Performance of Patriarchy in Kristen Roupenian's "Cat Person"

Cats Playing Mouse

Hoang Le

• Publisher: GRIN Verlag
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9783389199725
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: English Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2025 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Tubingen (Faculty of Humanities; English Department), course: Bachelorarbeit, language: English, abstract: Why does a short story about an apparently ordinary date resonate with millions of readers, and what does it reveal about the power of patriarchal structures in contemporary society? Kristen Roupenian's "Cat Person" became an international cultural phenomenon and is widely regarded as one of the most discussed short stories of the #MeToo era. Yet beneath the public debate surrounding dating, consent, and gender roles lies far more than an uncomfortable encounter between two people. This bachelor's thesis argues that "Cat Person" is a multilayered literary intervention that not only addresses patriarchal power structures but also exposes them through its very narrative form. Situated at the intersection of feminist literary studies, narratology, and Gaze Theory, the thesis examines how narrative techniques—particularly focalization, free indirect discourse, and unreliable narration—are employed to foreground female subjectivity while subverting traditional patriarchal storytelling conventions. To this end, it brings together key theoretical approaches developed by Laura Mulvey, Gérard Genette, Franz K. Stanzel, Katja Kauer, Jill Soloway, and other influential feminist scholars, applying them to Roupenian's short story. At its core, the thesis explores how literature can not only reflect social power structures but also critically challenge and dismantle them. The analysis demonstrates that Margot's experiences should be understood neither as an individual failure nor as a simple case of miscommunication. Instead, "Cat Person" reveals the profound extent to which patriarchal expectations shape concepts of desire, consent, intimacy, and female agency. Through its consistent focus on Margot's perspective, the story creates a narrative that confronts readers directly with emotional ambivalence, uncertainty, and structural inequality. By combining current societal debates surrounding #MeToo, consent, and gender with a rigorous literary analysis, this thesis offers fresh insights into contemporary narrative forms. It provides a nuanced, theoretically grounded, and highly relevant examination of how literature makes patriarchal power visible—and why "Cat Person" is far more than the story of a failed date.