“Her Problems Were Everyone’s Problems”

Self and Gender in The Deer Park

Abstract

The Deer Park received more criticism than praise for its sexual descriptions and several critics saw it as a novel “about man and sex,” but the focus of Mailer’s concern in the narrative is not the problem of sexuality but that of self and gender, especially the sexuality of the characters. Relationships in the novel demonstrate a pursuit of selfhood and happiness and the plot reveals different life choices and gender quandaries of women in the course of their pursuit of selfhood. Elena pursues an understanding of her identity within a context of complications and her encounters are universal. Hence, “her problems were everyone’s problems.”