Author: Wing Young Huie
Date:1993-1995
Place of Publication: http://www.wingyounghuie.com/frogtown
Both Atwood and Huie show a form of bias in their work, as the groups they choose to portray align with their identities. Atwood chose to show the inferiority of women in A Handmaid's Tale to highlight the issues that could come with dropping fertility rates, and Huie wishes to explore the lives of minorities or those living in countries struggling economically. However, both artists' methods of "othering" differs, as Atwood allows the reader to personally identify with the oppressed group while Huie allows his viewers to have a more objective standpoint. Neither author gives their subject's real name, but this was done intentionally in A Handmaid's Tale. The text states, "My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden" (Atwood 84). While not giving a name to the protagonist is slightly unusual, it was done because of the oppressive nature of the society. Through the same technique of first person perspective, it later becomes known how the "othering" between men and women occurred. Conversely, the unnamed girl in Huie's photograph has a different effect. If this photo is looked at in isolation, the girl is the only representative of her culture and ethnicity. This leads to an overgeneralization of people who share her ethnicity, and effectively submits them to "othering" since there is a separation created among those who cannot relate to her situation. Thus, Atwood and Huie classify groups of people as different by either explaining how false names isolate women from men, or how the lack of a name allows for a broad generalization.
You bring up an interesting point by discussing the lack of real names as a way to create an "othering" effect. I think it's important to note that, not only are the Handmaids in Atwood's novel unable to use their real names, but the names that they are assigned are derived from the males which they serve. This creates a level of ownership and "othering" at the same time, as men are allowed to keep the names they had prior to Gilead's creation. If the Handmaids had been assigned random names (such as Biblical titles) or even numbers, then they would have been "othered" but not possessed by the males. By saying that they are "Of" the men that they serve, they are bonded to them and viewed as under that male's authority. Thus, these females are seen as the property of the men, and yet they are set apart from them at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThere is something to be said about the concept of name and labels which, as you pointed out, are a major part of both author's works. By choosing to not identify the protagonist of the work, the authors are able to amplify their message about the importance of identity. I think that a major fault of Gilead is this lack of individuality of the silenced group. Despite a whole group being silenced, it seems to be important to remain an individual inside of the collective. This is true both of Gilead and the real world as shown by Huie in this photo.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how in depth your analysis of this seemingly simple picture creates a prime example and connection to othering. Your post transitions well into allowing the reader to grasp your point that the bias is presented by the author in relation to the focused group’s identity. A major concept you analyze is the subject’s name and I agree with Rebecca, the ownership of men over their handmaid increases how effective the use of “othering” becomes evident in the novel. I noticed in the picture that the only description on the photo is that the girl is an expecting mother. This may be a factor in how women, as in The Handmaid’s Tale, are viewed as a tool for reproduction. Huie shows this with a real-world example by identifying her as so: a female that will produce an offspring.
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