The Gaze Essay

Even though Elif Shafak’s style is not that of a traditional narrative, through the use of stream of consciousness, repetition of passages, and the integration of the gaze dictionary, she effectively provides insight on the major thematic issue of the gaze. The Gaze has a structure in which the stories and characters are physically separated but connected through the theme of the gaze. The stories range from 17th century Siberia to modern Istanbul. In the novel, an obese lady and a dwarf fall in love with each other. The two are attracted to the uniqueness of the other that separates them from society and labels them as freaks. Shafak interweaves the story of a show filled with freaks which is eventually connected to the story of the obese lady and the dwarf.

In the opening chapter of The Gaze, the narrator is having a stream of consciousness which makes the novel appear to be wandering off from the point of developing the significance of its title. This stream of consciousness occurs when the narrator discusses the affair that happens outside of her home in

According to Oxford dictionary, to gaze is “to look at fixedly, intently, or deliberately at something.” People also tend to look at things that trigger their curiosity. In this situation, the narrator and her partner, B-C, is looking outside from their terrace to discover what the commotion outside of their apartment building is all about. A gaze can also provide information on the social behavior of a person. When the narrator states that she “saw with B-C’s eyes,” she is saying that she is interpreting the situation through the look on B-C’s eyes (p 10). People gaze at others due to feelings such as attraction, hatred, or confusion. The narrator uses B-C’s gaze to determine the situation below since she does not want to approach the window herself to see what is going on with her own