Fall of Queens;
The Struggle for Control of Lust
Ashpreet Thind WL 100
Despite the different cultures and context of Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono and “Hippolytus” by Euripides, female characters are written with respect to social views put in place to control behavior; Phaedra and Madame deal with their restricted sexuality, Phaedra specifically with her lust of Hippolytus, and Madame with her objectification of men. The main male characters are both portrayed as victims to the females, Hippolytus being idiotically naive in his dealings with Phaedra and her lust when informed of her issue, while Toundi deals with the power struggle against the colonialists, whereas the many female characters of different races are deprived of a sexuality or …show more content…
Toundi’s mother is entrenched in the lives of the ‘natives’ and stuck with an abusive husband. Madame however is new and attractive, she draws the attention of the other African men. When taking a walk to town with Toundi, they comment on her appearance in their native tongue. This action is for Toundi and themselves more than it is for Madame, and the language barrier forces Toundi to later lie about what was being said. The African men speak out to feel better about themselves, they have been colonized by the white Frenchmen, yet they are still seen as below them. In the scene in which Madame is hosting a party with the Commandant she searches for a partner to have an affair with. She and Toundi have ‘a terrible moment when… [Their] eyes linger’ Toundi has caught her objectifying and gazing the other men. (Passage H) The men who gazed at her in the earlier scene were all black people, Toundi included- although his gaze and the other mens were not the same as I will explain- while those she objectified were white men. Despite this power imbalance their lust does not change. The ‘natives’ still sexualize Madame, just as Madame sexualizes the other party goers. Here we see her both being objectified yet also gazing and objectifying. Women are often not seen as having sexual desire themselves, only objects to project on. However Madame changes that, she has sexual autonomy. She can pick and choose who to have an affair with, like at the party scene for example. Toundi is put into a position, where he does not see himself as below them. He does not look away when his eyes meets another. Yet Toundi still idolizes Madame, willingly putting her on a pedestal above the others for her beauty- Toundi himself calls her ‘my queen. (Passage G) He sees her with great power, yet he is under her control, similar to Hippolytus and his love for
The Struggle for Control of Lust
Ashpreet Thind WL 100
Despite the different cultures and context of Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono and “Hippolytus” by Euripides, female characters are written with respect to social views put in place to control behavior; Phaedra and Madame deal with their restricted sexuality, Phaedra specifically with her lust of Hippolytus, and Madame with her objectification of men. The main male characters are both portrayed as victims to the females, Hippolytus being idiotically naive in his dealings with Phaedra and her lust when informed of her issue, while Toundi deals with the power struggle against the colonialists, whereas the many female characters of different races are deprived of a sexuality or …show more content…
Toundi’s mother is entrenched in the lives of the ‘natives’ and stuck with an abusive husband. Madame however is new and attractive, she draws the attention of the other African men. When taking a walk to town with Toundi, they comment on her appearance in their native tongue. This action is for Toundi and themselves more than it is for Madame, and the language barrier forces Toundi to later lie about what was being said. The African men speak out to feel better about themselves, they have been colonized by the white Frenchmen, yet they are still seen as below them. In the scene in which Madame is hosting a party with the Commandant she searches for a partner to have an affair with. She and Toundi have ‘a terrible moment when… [Their] eyes linger’ Toundi has caught her objectifying and gazing the other men. (Passage H) The men who gazed at her in the earlier scene were all black people, Toundi included- although his gaze and the other mens were not the same as I will explain- while those she objectified were white men. Despite this power imbalance their lust does not change. The ‘natives’ still sexualize Madame, just as Madame sexualizes the other party goers. Here we see her both being objectified yet also gazing and objectifying. Women are often not seen as having sexual desire themselves, only objects to project on. However Madame changes that, she has sexual autonomy. She can pick and choose who to have an affair with, like at the party scene for example. Toundi is put into a position, where he does not see himself as below them. He does not look away when his eyes meets another. Yet Toundi still idolizes Madame, willingly putting her on a pedestal above the others for her beauty- Toundi himself calls her ‘my queen. (Passage G) He sees her with great power, yet he is under her control, similar to Hippolytus and his love for