---
title: "The Second Sex in Intro to Literary Theory"
description: "The Second Sex is Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist text on how women are made into the “Other,” shaping gender, identity, and literary criticism."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/introduction-to-literary-theory/key-terms/the-second-sex"
type: "key-term"
subject: "Intro to Literary Theory"
unit: "Unit 7"
---

# The Second Sex in Intro to Literary Theory

## Definition

The Second Sex is Simone de Beauvoir’s 1949 feminist text arguing that womanhood is socially constructed, not natural. In Intro to Literary Theory, it’s a foundational text for feminist criticism and the idea of women as “Other.”

## What It Is

The Second Sex is Simone de Beauvoir’s foundational feminist text in Intro to Literary Theory, and it argues that woman is not a fixed natural essence but a social position produced by patriarchy. Its most famous idea is that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” which means gender is shaped by culture, power, and expectation, not just biology.

In literary theory, that matters because literature does not simply reflect gender, it helps produce and police it. Beauvoir shows how women are treated as the “Other,” which means men are positioned as the default human subject while women are defined in relation to men. When you read a novel, poem, or play through this lens, you start asking who gets to speak, who gets described, who gets desired, and who gets trapped inside social roles.

Beauvoir is also working in conversation with existentialism, which asks how people make meaning and identity through choice and action. Her point is that women are often denied that freedom because society narrows the roles available to them. Instead of being treated as fully self-defining subjects, they are pushed toward roles like wife, mother, muse, or dependent.

A useful example is how she separates “women” as a biological category from “the feminine” as a set of behaviors society teaches and rewards. That distinction helps you see why a character in a text might seem “naturally” passive, nurturing, or decorative when those traits are actually being produced by social pressure. Feminist criticism builds on this move by asking how texts normalize those pressures.

So, in this course, The Second Sex is not just a history-of-feminism text. It is a way of reading gender in literature as constructed, unequal, and tied to power.

## Why It Matters

The Second Sex matters in Intro to Literary Theory because it gives you one of the first major tools for feminist criticism: the idea that representation is political. Once Beauvoir names woman as “Other,” you can trace how texts center male experience as universal and treat female characters as supporting figures, symbols, or problems to be explained.

It also gives you a vocabulary for reading character, narration, and theme. If a novel rewards women for silence, punishes ambition, or frames marriage as the only meaningful ending, Beauvoir’s ideas help you explain that pattern instead of just noticing it. That is the difference between summary and interpretation.

This text also connects neatly to later feminist theory. A lot of later critics build on Beauvoir’s basic question, which is how power shapes gendered identity, even when they disagree with parts of her approach. So if you understand The Second Sex, you can follow later conversations about patriarchy, sexuality, race, class, and performativity more easily.

## Connections

### Patriarchy

Beauvoir’s argument depends on patriarchy as the system that makes men the norm and women the secondary category. When you read The Second Sex alongside patriarchy, you can see that “Othering” is not just a feeling or attitude, it is a social structure. That structure shapes institutions, relationships, and literary representation.

### Gender Roles

The Second Sex explains gender roles as learned patterns rather than natural truths. That is why Beauvoir’s line about “becoming” a woman matters so much in literary theory. It helps you read characters, plot outcomes, and narrative expectations as socially trained, especially when a text presents femininity as destiny.

### Existentialism

Beauvoir’s thought is tied to existentialism because it focuses on freedom, choice, and self-making. In literary analysis, that connection helps you ask whether a character has real agency or whether social rules block it. The tension between freedom and constraint is one of the biggest ideas The Second Sex adds to theory.

### [sexual politics](/introduction-to-literary-theory/key-terms/sexual-politics)

The Second Sex opens the door to reading sex and power together instead of treating them as separate topics. Sexual politics looks at who controls desire, marriage, reproduction, and social legitimacy. Beauvoir’s work makes those power relations visible, especially in texts where romance or domesticity seems “natural” but is actually restrictive.

## On the AP Exam

A passage analysis or short essay might ask you to explain how a text represents women, domesticity, or power. That is where The Second Sex comes in: you would use Beauvoir to show how the work treats femininity as constructed, limited, or othered rather than innate.

If a question gives you a novel scene with marriage, dependence, beauty standards, or silence, you can connect it to Beauvoir’s idea that society teaches women how to be acceptable. In a discussion or written response, name the pattern, point to the textual evidence, and explain how patriarchy shapes the character’s options.

You may also be asked to compare feminist criticism with another lens. The best move is to show that Beauvoir is less about personal feelings and more about structures that shape identity. That keeps your interpretation grounded in theory instead of general opinion.

## The Second Sex vs gender trouble

The Second Sex is Beauvoir’s earlier argument that women are socially constructed as “Other,” while gender trouble usually refers to Judith Butler’s later theory that gender is performed and destabilized through repeated acts. Beauvoir focuses on becoming woman under patriarchy, while Butler pushes further into performativity and the instability of gender itself.

## Key Takeaways

- The Second Sex is Simone de Beauvoir’s foundational feminist text, and in literary theory it is used to explain how women are socially constructed rather than naturally defined.
- Its most famous idea is that woman becomes a social identity, which means gender roles are produced by culture, power, and expectation.
- Beauvoir’s concept of woman as “Other” helps you read literature for whose perspective is treated as normal and whose is treated as secondary.
- The text connects strongly to feminist criticism because it shows how novels, plays, and poems can reinforce patriarchy through character roles and narrative patterns.
- If a text limits women to silence, marriage, or dependence, Beauvoir gives you a framework for naming that limitation as ideological, not accidental.

## FAQs

### What is The Second Sex in Intro to Literary Theory?

The Second Sex is Simone de Beauvoir’s 1949 feminist work arguing that womanhood is socially made, not biologically fixed. In literary theory, it is a core text for feminist criticism because it shows how literature can reflect and reinforce patriarchy.

### What does “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” mean?

Beauvoir means that society teaches people how to perform womanhood through rules, expectations, and limits. The phrase pushes back against the idea that femininity is natural or inevitable, which makes it a major idea in gender-focused literary analysis.

### How is The Second Sex related to patriarchy?

The book argues that patriarchy is the system that turns men into the norm and women into the secondary category. In texts, that can show up when male experience feels universal while women are defined by relationships, beauty, or domestic roles.

### How do you use The Second Sex in a literary analysis essay?

Use it to explain how a text represents women, gender roles, or social power. You can point to a character, image, or ending and argue that it reflects Beauvoir’s idea of women as “Other” or as shaped by social expectations rather than free self-definition.

## Related Study Guides

- [7.1 Waves of Feminism and Their Impact on Literary Criticism](/introduction-to-literary-theory/unit-7/waves-feminism-impact-literary-criticism/study-guide/7jEa0vik3Suw0jAl)

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