A socio-political commentary on gender and war, Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things brings the Victorian era to its knees and asks it, “Why?” The novel is centered around a young woman who is somewhat brought back to life, in a Frankensteinian-type of way. Having the body of a young woman, but the brain of a child, Bella Baxter is a monster. However, it is not because of her being pieced together without consent by a man who felt the godly need to insert himself into her life. It is because she is a woman. Gray’s novel is set up in a way that is unlike anything else I have ever read. The introduction prepares readers for what is to come as most do. Though, I do not think most will be able to understand the true depth of this warning until they complete the novel. Gray writes, “... readers who know nothing about the daringly experimental history of Scottish medicine will perhaps mistake it for a grotesque fiction. Those who examine the proofs given at the end of this introduction will not doubt that… a surgical genius used human remains to create a twenty-five-year-old-woman” (VII). Initially, the meaning of these lines does seem quite clear. Readers of Poor Things are expected to doubt the probability that a grown woman was reborn to men. However, upon completion of the novel, readers may recognize a second meaning to this warning. It is entirely possible that Gray was commenting on the unfortunate true fact that women often are reborn to men within society. The beginning of Gray’s novel easily reads like fiction as it focuses on the chilling creation of Bella Baxter. “I was called to examine the body you know as Bella… Geddes saw a young woman climb onto the parapet of the suspension bridge near his home. She did not jump feet first like most suicides. She dived clean under, like a swimmer but expelling the air from her lungs, not drawing it in, for she did not return to the surface alive” (32). This passage alone reflects both contexts of the message that Gray leaves readers in the introduction early on. While it is possible that these lines are simple plot narration, it is equally possible that Gray is commenting on the way in which women have historically had no say in how to dictate their own lives. Bella, for reasons unknown to the reader, was in control of her life the day that she decided to leave it behind. Though she may not have had any say in the dreadful manner in which she arrived at this tragic decision, she was able to put an end to it. Sometimes, that is all anyone wants. For Godwin Baxter to believe that he knew what Bella needed reflects the indirect play on words regarding his nickname, God. He made a decision that was not his to make, as many men of a certain stature have throughout history for more than just the women of certain communities, but for everyone in them. As the novel progresses, this Feminist-focused discussion continues as readers observe Bella’s attempt to reject gender roles and political limitations. Personally, I believe that whether or not Bella (later known as Victoria) is successful in rejecting gender roles and political beliefs set onto her by those around her is not the key element at the heart of this novel. Instead, I believe it is the question of why women are still subject to a select group of elite men, or women who embrace the masculine roles of their cohort in order to establish themselves, making decisions for them. Why are these moments simply accepted for what they are instead of analyzed and adapted for the better? "’And that is why you should marry me, Bella. You will be my slave in law, but not in fact.’" - Gray, Poor Things, pg. 155.
0 Comments
|
About the Faux HistorianAs a Graduate student at Wright State University, Kayelynne Harrison found herself studying Neo-Victorian Literature as she pursued her Master of Art's Degree in ENG: Literature. This page is a small reflection of the work she has accomplished in her last semester. Though preferring to study Gothic Literature and Horror Film analysis, where she hopes her future lies, these Neo-Victorian studies prove helpful in Kayelynne's journey. Archives
April 2021
Categories |