Social Darwinism In Nicola Barker's 'G-String'

In 1859, Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution by natural selection, it states that organisms best adapted to their environment will thrive and reproduce more efficiently. In the 1870’s, an idea known as “Social Darwinism” inspired by Darwin’s theory came to public attention; this was the idea that certain characteristics could determine a person's social success. In today’s society, people strive for social acceptance and contort themselves in order to conform to what is socially respectable, or go out of their way in order try to convince people to accept others. But at what point does this social contortionism become unhealthy and obsessive? The short story “G-String”, by Nicola Barker, revolves around the life of Gillian, a middle aged woman, and her romantic …show more content…
In the particular quote; “Gillian wanted to be a modern girl but when she espied her rear-end engulfing the slither of string like a piece of dental floss entering the gap between two great white molars, her heart sank down into her strappy sandals. It tormented her.” (Barker 71), we can see the beginning of what can only be described as a cycle of self depreciation issues being caused by her desire to please others. While seeking acceptance doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, Gillian ventures into an unhealthy and obsessive state by being willing to do anything to gain it. Gillian completely loses her sense of self while looking to please others. If one were to delve into the psychological meaning of Gillian’s actions we would find that she suffers from low self esteem levels which, “refer to people's representations of their feelings of self-worth”(Kernis 3). In the long run, these seemingly mild and unimportant problems with the way she looks at herself could cause a multitude of life threatening mental