Sympathy In Katherine Dunn's Geek Love

Stigmatized by pop culture and modern society, individuals suffering from physical disabilities are often labeled as abnormal. Katherine Dunn’s novel Geek Love challenges this stigma by creating a family comprised solely of “freaks” who display physical disabilities alienating them from the norms of society. To create this family of freaks, parents Al and Crystal Lil Binewski conceive their children while taking a concoction of narcotics—a practice frowned upon by society and medical experts alike due to the increased probability of birth defects. Abandoning their children who appear “normal,” the family raises those born with deformities as performers in their travelling carnival operation—the Binewski Fabulon. Star of the show Arturo Binewski, born with flippers rather than hands and feet, leverages his popularity as a performer in the Fabulon in order to gain power over his family and the audiences he generates. During his quest to become the supreme leader of the family business, Arty’s violent actions against his supporters illustrate how his behavior is motivated by a severe case of narcissistic personality disorder. Arty’s first display of …show more content…
Empathy—the ability to sense the feelings of another person—is a key component of narcissism when used to provide therapy to others, while simultaneously boosting the narcissist’s sense of self-importance (Fine 53). Due to the fact that Arty uses empathy to grow his following, which in turn boosts his sense of self-importance, the conclusion can be made that Arty’s use of empathy is a conscious decision, made as a result of his struggle with