Feminist Analysis of “Blade Culture”
Nude photos: They can be a great way to add spice to one’s love life, but they often end up on the internet for everyone to see. Photos of women are almost always more desirable, as male nudes often consist of nothing but a phallus, which is not exactly an appealing organ. This means that the entire practice of sending nudes ends up subordinating women. This practice of subordination is illustrated in Atticus Lish’s “Blade culture.” The lead female character, named Jane, submits to her boyfriend, is objectified, and is portrayed as a weak, often victimized character. In the story, there are several instances where Jane completely submits to Randall, both sexually and emotionally. Jane is also portrayed as an object of sexuality, rather than a legitimate human being. Finally, Jane is often victimized by the males in the story.
Jane’s yielding behavior in “Blade Culture” goes along with traditional gender roles, in which women are considered submissive, while men are considered dominant. One example of this is on page one, where Lish writes, “When he finally got her on a date and got her alone, she said, No, don’t - and then yielded to him immediately.” (Lish 1) This sentence exemplifies the traditionally …show more content…
When Randall says, “To all tha homeys on tha real watch out 4 this skeez. Green lite this bitch cuz.” (Lish 11) By saying to “Green lite this bitch cuz,” Randall is telling all the members of the gang to find and kill Jane. This is an example of victimization because Randall is telling his fellow gangstas to end Jane’s life, and while it is true that Jane did wrong Randall, to get her killed is both unjust and unfair. Death is the ultimate punishment, and only deserved for the most heinous of all crimes, not cheating, sexting, and getting someone locked up in prison for a lowly six
Nude photos: They can be a great way to add spice to one’s love life, but they often end up on the internet for everyone to see. Photos of women are almost always more desirable, as male nudes often consist of nothing but a phallus, which is not exactly an appealing organ. This means that the entire practice of sending nudes ends up subordinating women. This practice of subordination is illustrated in Atticus Lish’s “Blade culture.” The lead female character, named Jane, submits to her boyfriend, is objectified, and is portrayed as a weak, often victimized character. In the story, there are several instances where Jane completely submits to Randall, both sexually and emotionally. Jane is also portrayed as an object of sexuality, rather than a legitimate human being. Finally, Jane is often victimized by the males in the story.
Jane’s yielding behavior in “Blade Culture” goes along with traditional gender roles, in which women are considered submissive, while men are considered dominant. One example of this is on page one, where Lish writes, “When he finally got her on a date and got her alone, she said, No, don’t - and then yielded to him immediately.” (Lish 1) This sentence exemplifies the traditionally …show more content…
When Randall says, “To all tha homeys on tha real watch out 4 this skeez. Green lite this bitch cuz.” (Lish 11) By saying to “Green lite this bitch cuz,” Randall is telling all the members of the gang to find and kill Jane. This is an example of victimization because Randall is telling his fellow gangstas to end Jane’s life, and while it is true that Jane did wrong Randall, to get her killed is both unjust and unfair. Death is the ultimate punishment, and only deserved for the most heinous of all crimes, not cheating, sexting, and getting someone locked up in prison for a lowly six