Examining Representation in RICK AND MORTY

Mridula Sharma

Mridula Sharma University of Delhi

Keywords: Rick and Morty, space travel, feminism, representation

Abstract

Netflix’s Rick and Morty provides a fictional space dealing with scientific innovations that allow movement within and beyond the current universe in which humans currently reside. In one of the episodes, Rick and Morty land up in an alternate universe which is completely ruled by women. This seemingly ‘feminist’ world mandates the process of keeping men as slaves, and deprives men of basic humanitarian rights, thereby forcing them to follow harsh regulations. The slightest traces of disobedience by men can lead to severe punishment.

By situating a feminist world in another dimension, the show attempts to provide a glimpse into the possibilities of modification in the current ‘order’ of human civilisation if such a world is erected. The eventual conclusion of the danger that a feminist planet can unleash colours the perceptions of the masses. This is effectual in not only portraying that feminism is a threat to the peaceful existence of humanity, but also concluding that the present world cannot, and should not, be blinded by feminist movements. Space travel, therefore, acts as a mechanism to fuel the patriarchal motives that the show is inherently comprised of. The paper is an attempt to examine the versions of idealised femininity and identify other common trends that seem to dominate space travel as depicted in the series.

Keywords: Rick and Morty, space travel, feminism, representation.

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Author Biography

Mridula Sharma, University of Delhi

Mridula Sharma is a published research scholar. Her research papers in literature and economics have been accepted for publication by various national and international journals. Her research interests include the examination of the eighteenth-century British novel, and Gothic literature. She is also a creative writing mentor and a published poet.

References

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