Normal for the Spider, Chaos for the Fly: Disrupting Domesticity, Gender, and Power in 1960s Television An Analysis of The Addams Family and Bewitched.

This thesis explores the complex dynamics of power, gender, and representation in the context of American television in the 1960s, specifically the sitcoms The Addams Family and Bewitched, and the ways in which these shows both reflected and challenged the dominant gender roles of the period. By placing these shows in the context of the wider 1960s television environment, this thesis shows the cultural fears about masculinity and femininity amid a decade of immense social change. Drawing on Judith Butler's gender performativity theory, Stuart Hall's cultural representation model, and Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze concept, this research explores how these shows interact with the shifting constructions of gender roles and agency. The contrast between the two male protagonists, Gomez Addams and Darrin Stephens, represents divergent constructions of masculinity. Gomez's equalitarian and loving partnership with Morticia subverts patriarchal domination, while Darrin's determination to restrict Samantha's witchcraft reflects mid-century fears about the empowerment of women. Similarly, Morticia and Samantha negotiate their sovereignty amidst patriarchal contexts, Morticia by resisting the Male Gaze through self-ownership and self-monitoring, and Samantha by using witchcraft as a metaphor for the potential curbs on women. Through the close examination of The Addams Family and Bewitched together with other sitcoms like Father Knows Best and Leave it to the Beaver, this research positions the shows in the context of a wider cultural and historical discourse around gender. Although the TV shows often reproduced the domestic ideal, they simultaneously attempted to quietly subvert dominant discourses by offering new frameworks for understanding gender relations. This thesis argues that ultimately, both The Addams Family and Bewitched contributed to the formation and development of masculine and feminine representation, thus forming the basis for continuing debates around gender, power, and media representation.