Sexism, gender inequality as well as failure to appreciate personal variations are undeniable elements of the human culture. Whereas individuals in modern society hold differing stances on the issue of sex and sexual identity, there is a growing accord that individuals concentrate considerably on adverse effects or events. Bias is utilized to characterize and potentially alienate a section of society. Anyone failing to embrace the defined and recognized social traits is subjected to a variety of consequences, with females being the most vulnerable. Lusus Naturae by Atwood is used to represent the tendency the society has to discriminate against those who have physical features that seem different or unique. The primary character is a young girl who has been rejected, referred to as horrible, and named a monster due to suffering from a condition called porphyria. Even though the author’s protagonist had appealing personal as well as visible traits when younger, her new appearance has resulted in society isolating her. The society plays a major role in gender and sexual identity by forcing people to appear a particular way, which can be seen in both Lusus Naturae and Hairball by Margaret Atwood.
Society plays a major role in defining people’s personal identities. The author of her stories, Lusus Naturae and Hairball, has succeeded in her goal of communicating about stereotypes that are based on sex by denying the protagonist a name. The choice is symbolic in terms of suggesting how society conventionally provides little to no chances for females to express themselves (Atwood, 1994). Whereas a girl is unable to alter her new appearance caused of a health condition, people around her expect that she bears the blame since they view her as a freak of nature that scares them. They fail to appreciate how strong and beautiful she was before the predicament.
In Lusus Naturae, the female, in her hideous appearance, embodies beastliness, which is interconnected with sexuality and female authority. The immediate surroundings of the girl in Lusus Naturae illustrate the society’s role in identity. Both the reader as well as the other figures in the story would have expectations of her guardians looking beyond the girl’s health condition. Nevertheless, they do not support her by joining others in society in desiring her to die (Atwood, 2014). Even her mother uses some ill names to refer to her, for instance, a vampire, monster, and a thing. She subjects her child to blood in place of food as her beliefs are that she is not human but a beast. The narrator chooses to recognize and appreciate what other people claim as her destiny.
The author has uses metaphorical language to expose the society’s unfairness in identity. Whereas the term thing seems too harsh, Atwood has utilized it figurately. Thus, establishing an image of societies that can be characterized by negativity bias. The phrase “freak of nature” is an obvious representation of how individuals can become harsh when reacting to traits they perceive as unique and unpleasant (Atwood, 2014). Almost every person makes quick judgment and not willing to be optimistic. The narrator in Lusus Naturae presents misconstrued qualities as awful. This has forced other characters, her parents included, to trust that she is a thing that is not worthy of happiness or sufficient care as normal human beings. Via societal pressure, individuals have robbed her of her status as a human.
The idea of someone having another self is wrong and false since it creates a notion of obtaining another identity due to pressure from others. The term contains one meaning which is who humans are in actuality. It refers to how they feel, think as well as act. It can be viewed by other people, but since there is a possibility of bias when others view an individual, it can be described as how people see themselves. Everyone has a real personality, but sometimes it can change because of the attitudes of society. This can be observed in the Hairball story by Margaret Atwood. The well-developed narrative is about a woman in her 30s who undergoes major personal losses. According to Martín (2019), there is observation of her seeming as if she no longer has an identity. Over time, Kat has changed her appearance and even her name in an attempt to fit the times and the situation.
Kat chooses to recreate herself and find another identity that is accepted by the society. She has undergone multiple abortions and found a way to convince herself that she does not need kids. The narrative starts when she is subjected to surgery which is aimed to remove a rare as well as a unique ovarian tumor that contains teeth, hair, and bones. She refers to it as a hairball, thus the name of the story. The reader can learn that her relationship with her lover is becoming sour. She discovers that he plans to replace her at work as a creative director. She imagines that she has born the hairball that she recognizes as the warped kid of the failed association. Martín (2019) has shown that the emotional distress she was experiencing could be seen through observing her body. She opts for the life-changing decision to receive approval from others.
Numerous things in society reinforce that everyone has some real internal identity. There is something that makes everyone unique, defining an essence that is constant and unchanging. It is beliefs, desires, feelings, impressions, and interrelationships that make up identity. Both stories of Margaret Atwood prove that each individual is a set of components, regardless of appearance. Of course, among these components are the tangible ones, such as the brain, body, legs, and rest, but they are not that significant. Modifications of the external form do not lead to a change in personality, and the individual always remains himself if he has true beliefs. For example, the main character of Lusus Naturae, despite her multiple forms and animal nature, always has one real essence, which remains the same in all situations, even despite society’s attitudes. Moreover, in Lusus Naturae, the author shows that someone’s circumstances should not be used to define her identity. The girl in the narrative was beautiful and strong before contracting a health condition that changed her physical appearance.
The paper has shown how the society plays a role in gender and sexual identity through reviewing two stories, Lusus Naturae and Hairball by Margaret Atwood. It has shown that society plays a major role in defining how people should identify. The author in both stories has successfully communicated the theme of gender-based stereotypes by using two characters who were judged wrongly by those in their surroundings. The first one is seen as a freak of nature who scares others due to getting infected with an incurable illness. The second individual had to change her appearance to ensure she suited or fit into the society in which she lived and be accepted. It is important to understand that people can be biased, and thus, someone only needs to lean on their perception to define themselves.
References
Atwood, M. (2014). Lusus naturae. In M. Chabon (Ed.), Vintage Books.
Atwood, M. (1994). Hairball. WordPress.
Martín, J. (2019). Dystopia, feminism and phallogocentrism in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. Open Cultural Studies, 3(1), 174-181. Web.