"Othering:" The Misconceptions of Masculinity
The Photograph
Wing Young Huie's photograph, captured in Minneapolis, in 1982, shows a teenager slumped passively against a brick wall, while blurred figures constitute an ambiguous background. The man in the foreground sports an unique style; his hair, shaved save for a slicked mohawk, is stylistically aligned with his a spiked bracelet, ripped denim vest, chain wallet, and patched, baggy jeans. On denotative examination, Huie's photo screams aesthetic; the focus is exclusively the edgy appearance of the boy. Yet on further inspection, Huie's photograph displays the weight of social stereotypes and conventions. The individuals in the background, though indeed blurry, are presumably all men; their loose shorts and close-cropped hair suggest as much. Yet rather than joining the neighboring boys, who are visually close in proximity to the man in the foreground, the man instead remains separate and isolated. His arm, resting contemplatively upon his knee, physically divides the men in the background from himself. Whereas the group of background men are illustrated as a cluster in the left half of the frame, the man in the foreground's head (a traditional symbol for the mind, and, subsequently, the man's identity and individuality) are spatially oppositional. Given his punk attire and fatigued, lost-in-thought facial expression, the man in the foreground appears to be ostracized due to his deviation from societally masculine norms, such as the "pack" mentality, casual dress, and boisterous personality. The man is an "other," struggling to balance his differences amongst a community that favors cohesion.
How do Wing Young Huie (in your selected photograph) and Margaret Atwood (in The Handmaid's Tale) present the concept of "othering" through image, layout/format, language, and/or color?
Both Wing Young Huie and Margaret Atwood utilize juxtaposition via layout/format in order to enforce their ideas of "othering." In Wing Young Huie's photograph (see above for further discussion), the man in the foreground is conflicted between balancing his unique identity with the traditional values of masculine communities. In Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Atwood displays the rigid nature of masculinity by contrasting Offred to Nick. Nick- who, as a man, has been assumed an individual of innate sexual dominance and prowess- is given the official position of power (Guardian) in Gilead. And while it is Serena Joy who arranges the sexual encounters between Offred and Nick, it is primarily Offred who initiates sex and outlines her thoughts and feelings to Nick throughout their relationship. Ironically, though he satisfies his role of Guardian of the household, Nick is also careful to guard himself. Thus, both creators display the uniqueness of men despite the stereotypes surrounding them. While the man in the photograph is a visibly distinguished outsider, Nick is a walking contrast to what Gilead believes men are supposed to be. In this manner, both Margaret Atwood and Wing Young Huie craft characters that oppose the traditional idea of what it means to be a man by juxtaposing them against others and thereby enforcing their arguments of the prevalence of being an "other" amidst the conventional values of male communities.
Citations
Huie, Young Wing. Untitled. 1982, Photograph, The Third Place Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I commented on Megan Proudfoot and Graycen Milak's posts.
ReplyDeleteMegan: https://iblitlangmap.blogspot.com/2018/09/we-are-other.html?showComment=1538251953377#c8901559966781610934
Graycen: https://graycensideas.blogspot.com/2018/09/win-young-huie-first-photographed-this.html?showComment=1538252409857#c858568154509390955
I think you did a great job on this first post! Your comparison of the man in the photo to Nick in The Handmaid's Tale was very insightful; I never thought about how Nick was challenging the social standards in his community throughout the novel. A quick note: you begin by saying that Nick embodies "the rigid nature of masculinity," but later state how he deviates from the expected behaviors of men in Gilead. Could Nick be compared to another male character to illustrate his behavior?
ReplyDeleteAgain, I really enjoyed this post! I would try to make the font size larger, because it is currently quite small.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the statement that Anne Ross is making is extremely strong. She uses various aspects of the photograph to make new subtextual arguments that ultimately make a fair amount of sense. On a surface level, I wouldn't have had the conclusion that she did, but she guided me in her process and supported her argument and it worked out extremely well. Then, when she considered the work of Atwood in respect to Huie's work, she made just as strong an argument. I have nothing here to debate. Within answering the second question, Anne Ross still delved into a conclusion different from my own but supported it with evidence. It is very clear from consideration that Nick would be the "other" in repect to the masculine norms of Gilead. He is a parallel to that of the image. I concur due to the level of support that Anne Ross had for the statements that Atwood and Huie were creating.
ReplyDeleteThe argument Anne Ross has made is very strong yet insightful. When I first looked at the image, I thought it expressed being alone in a community. Anne Ross took that a step farther, stating that my thought was part of a larger argument of centering around masculinity. Very thoughtful. Her argument could also be extended to the Commander, as he also experiences several traits that are not deemed masculine. It is also nice how she relates a stylistic device to that of a book and a picture, something that can rarely be done.
ReplyDeleteAnne Ross, I absolutely love your sophisticated diction! Your scholarly vocabulary never ceases to impress me. Your analysis of the picture was clear and thorough, presenting a strong argument that was effectively supported with your interpretation of the image. Your analysis of the novel was a little less clear in the beginning because of its complexity. However, by the end of your analysis I had successfully understood your view which I had never thought of prior to reading your post. I think your argument could have been strengthened by expanding upon your example by including how Nick had been treated like an outsider by the other characters in the novel. Overall, this blog post was incredibly interesting to read and was definitely insightful. Great job!
ReplyDelete