Male Gaze and the Female Self: A John Berger's Study of God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33195/Abstract
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the male gaze and the woman self by analyzing the portrayal of female characters in Toni Morrison's God Help the Child. This paper addresses the problem of white beauty standards as an emblem of ideal beauty and the way the male gaze plays a vital role in determining a woman's self. The male gaze acts as a mirror for the woman; therefore, she molds her appearance by keeping the male gaze in her mind, which makes her an object of the male spectacle and results in losing her genuine self. When a woman cannot attain these imprudent codes of beauty thus, this makes them psychologically and physically depleted. The violence inflicted upon the female self through the male gaze will be addressed with reference to John Berger's theory of voyeurism. A woman's whole identity is structured on the sense of others' appreciation. They unconsciously inspect their figure by keeping the male gaze in their mind. This research evaluates American beauty standards as an emblem of ideal female beauty and the role of the male gaze in sculpting a woman's self.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Hafsa Saifullah, Kashifa Khalid (Author)
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