The end of the journey towards female perfection in Smile, by Roddy Doyle

Abstract

In his novels Roddy Doyle has challenged stereotypes about women by creating strong female characters who are defined by their resilience and determination. In Smile he presents for the first time a beautiful, successful and moneyed woman. Rachel Carey is a TV celebrity and a feminist activist who marries Victor, an underdog. Rachel redeems him and helps him come to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. But at the end of the novel the reader discovers that this powerful and successful woman never entered into a relationship with Victor. The aim of this paper is to examine how this fictitious wife that Victor has created seems to possess all the best qualities of two of the most interesting female spouses created by Doyle: Miss O’Shea and Aoife Rabbitte.

En sus novelas Roddy Doyle ha cuestionado los estereotipos sobre las mujeres creando personajes femeninos que se definen por su resiliencia y determinación. En Smile nos presenta por primera vez a una mujer guapa, triunfadora y con dinero. Rachel Carey es una celebridad televisiva y una activista feminista que se casa con Victor, un perdedor. Rachel le redime y le ayuda a aceptar el abuso sexual que sufrió de niño. Pero al final de la novela el lector descubre que esta mujer tan poderosa y exitosa nunca tuvo una relación con Victor. El objetivo de este artículo es precisamente analizar cómo esta esposa ficticia creada por Victor posee las mejores cualidades de dos de las parejas femeninas más interesantes creadas por Doyle: Miss O’Shea y Aoife Rabbitte.