DINOSAURS EAT MAN

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of masculinity in Jurassic Park. It first seeks to understand Steven Spielberg’s childhood, during which he was subjected to bullying, and how his difficulties influenced the early part of his career. In his first few films, Spielberg routinely depicts male-coded characters who fit one of two archetypes: the physically strong bully (the truck in Duel, the shark in Jaws) and the physically weak everyman (David Mann, Martin Brody). In these films, the bully torments the everyman, who must become stronger without becoming a bully himself in order to succeed. The chapter then applies this approach to Jurassic Park and argues that Spielberg subverted it by depicting typical bully characters who are good men (for example, Muldoon) and typical everymen who have a streak of darkness to them (Hammond and Grant). In doing so, the chapter argues, Spielberg asks his audience to question the nature of masculinity and addresses the things men need to do to avoid sliding into the aggression that his heroes in Jurassic Park display.