Webster’s dictionary defines pariah as: “outcast, persona non grata, leper and undesirable”. It was and still is within the Western Protestant tradition thought that Christ himself while on earth was a pariah or an outcast. To many he was a threat to their sense of law and order and as a man of color without means, someone who appeared to provoke the masses to push back against the establishment. Christ was a man on the margins who ate with tax collectors, Samaritan divorcees and lepers. He reached out to the unique and honored their truth.
Alika/Lee, the central character in the film Pariah shows us the multi-faceted truth, she is attempting to live through not only as a young woman of color, but also as a lesbian. She has managed to hide
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it from most of her family, but she has come to a crossroads where it can no longer be denied. “Jesus reached out to women who were rejected. In spite of the laws regarding uncleanness, Jesus allowed a woman with a twelve-year menstrual problem to touch him, and he commended her faith (Mark 5:25–34). Jesus permitted a sinful woman to anoint and kiss his feet (Luke 7:36–50). Jesus challenged religious leaders by saying: “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matthew 21:31). He also offered salvation directly to women who were known as adulteresses (John 4:4–42 and John 8:1–11). This is by no means to say that Lee was a sinner or an undesirable for being her authentic self, but being a black teen who is also a lesbian carries a heaviness when attempting to negotiate within current Western protestant ideals. In a world of white privilege, those from the mainstream are quick to judge, just as the Pharisees were, and infer that she is not good enough or a pariah. Still from Pariah© Lee’s frustrated mother, Audrey, is a woman who has lost her own identity and no longer understands her place in this family. Therefore, she takes much of her “lack of control” out on Lee. As Lee arrives home and is attempting to avert her mother’s harping for being late, we hear Audrey come after her with a vengeance. It is Audrey that insists Lee conform to her ideals and rules. Lee pushes back and makes her escape into the bathroom. “Alike turns on the faucet, wets the soap and puts it back in the dish, wets her wash cloth and puts it back on the rack. She plops down on the toilet and looks up. A crucifix frowns down at her from the wall”. Sadly, it appears that her indoctrination of God/Christ has been one of law and judgement. She averts her eyes, but inside I could almost guarantee that she is feeling judged from that white Jesus hanging there on the wall. She might even be thinking, I can’t even go to the bathroom without being judged. As a young woman of color even within her own school experience, she is an outsider. She leaves the home in her “feminine” clothes and arrives at school to change into her “masculine” clothes. “She stares at her reflection in the window and tries unsuccessfully to smooth her shirt. Her eyes scour her reflection again and again for any imperfections. She spots the earrings and yanks them out of her ears. The late bell beckons and Alike stuffs her "feminine" clothes into her backpack and bolts”. How exhausting for Lee to have to negotiate through two worlds and not get to just be. This is a piece that has become so divisive for young men and women and their identity. There are certain morays around clothing that are still in place in Western society. I think things have improved in recent years, but in certain parts of the country what you wear has power (or not) and speaks a language all its own. The message in general is still that women should wear items such as skirts, dresses and most particularly lingerie (per Victoria Secret), while men should wear items such as jeans, polos, boxers and three piece suits. (How interesting that a skirt has been the main clothing item for the tribes of Scotland for centuries and are still worn on holidays.) In addition, when it comes to this tension around attire, we see Lee’s mother attempting to have some type of bond with her 17 year old daughter by purchasing a rather frilly, purple sweater for her. This is far from anything Lee would ever want to wear, but in Audrey’s mind it is not only a way to “protect” Lee from herself, but something even more basic. This also becomes a conduit for which Lee’s mother can still connect with her daughter. She wants her little girl back and to share something with her and then perhaps, keep her from changing…or being gay. As a mother, I know there were times when I attempted to connect with my own children via things that were not really about what they desired, but would somehow provide me with a sense of control or connectivity. Seventeen year old youth can be challenging as they attempt to find their own voice, but when you add color and sexual orientation, the levels of complexity are immense. “The cafeteria is a whirl of activity and social jockeying. Clusters of girls and boy’s loud-talk, flirt, fight and horseplay at tables and in tight little groups against the walls. Alike walks alone, staying on the fringes of the crowd and shrugs through the cafeteria line”. This too shows us insight into the life of a teen. It must be said that although the main issue here is Lee coming out on her own terms and being true to herself, being a teenager in and of itself is a journey. As someone who has worked with youth for fifteen plus years, from my own informal survey I can say with full assurance that nine out of ten students will tell you that who they sit with at lunch is the main concern as the school year starts. Then it’s about which of their friends will be in classes with them. Add to that the layers of Lee’s existence as she not only has to negotiate through her peer relationships, but her skin color, her gender and her sexual identity. How utterly overwhelming! Thankfully, it is through her poetry and her relationship with her writing teacher that she finds some solace and hope. She is a phenomenal student, and the teacher sees even more in her abilities as she begins to peel away the layers to expose her true self. Her writing will become her ticket out so-to-speak, but it is an unfolding just as a caterpillar exits their cocoon to become a butterfly. As she struggles to fit in at school and at home it is her friend Laura that remains a constant. Tragically, as Laura has had to negotiate these same waters, she provides a road map for Lee as she seeks knowledge as to how best live out her identity. Sadly, for Laura there is the added dimension of being disowned by her mother and father. She too is attempting to find her place in the world and has been indoctrinated with God’s condemnation regarding her lifestyle choices. We see her thrown away by her own mother as she goes to inform her of her attaining her GED. As her mother ever so stoically cracks the door open just enough to see who has rung her bell, she scornfully points her nose up at Laura as if to say she is disgusted. It is heartbreaking to watch Laura’s attempts at making a connection. All I could think of were the Pharisees and Sadducees as they judged the black preacher (Jesus) for attempting to heal the broken on the Sabbath and empower the marginalized. How does one denounce their own flesh and blood? Pariah still 2011© As Lee goes off to explore the relationship possibilities with the seemingly cool and coquettish Bina, Laura gives her blessing, but all the while having feelings for Lee herself. Bina ultimately breaks Lee’s heart as she “does her thing”, but it is Laura that is there for Lee to grieve the heart break. “Friendship is a freely chosen relationship in which one intends the well-being of the other”. That is what Laura provides for Lee and in so doing, they have a bond that will never be broken. This brings to mind the wonderful and deeply connective relationship between Ruth and Naomi in the Old Testament. There are no historical details that explain the depth of their relationship per say, other than Naomi was Ruth’s Mother-In Law. Yet, the sentiment within this text is honest, intimate and compassionate. Similarly, it is being spoken by a woman of color, therefore making it even more empowering. Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn from you, where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the God deal with me, be it ever so severely, even if death separates you and me. – Ruth 1:16-17 (NRV) Perhaps a very different lexicon than Laura would use with Lee, but then again the feelings and emotions of teenagers are deeply varied so this might match their current sensibilities. “Simone de Beauvoir’s classic statement that “woman is made, not born” remains a fair summary of the claims that gender is socially constructed, not biologically determined”.
As we watch Lee morph from a more “masculine” look at the club to a “feminine” one as she rides on the bus, it is obvious that those social constructs are massively at work in her life and most especially in her family of origin.
As aforementioned, the idea that a pretty, ruffled sweater is going to actually change Lee’s sexual identity is as ridiculous as trying to make a cat bark. Her mother Audrey is stuck within those same constructs and is unable to break free or let go of what it is society and culture has told her to be. She too has lost her sense of self and is strictly recognized as a totem for black mothers everywhere: a church going, God fearing, stay the course, protect the children and make them understand their place in the white world of privilege.
I feel for Audrey as she tries to create some sort of in with her daughter, but as she struggles to do so, her own unhappiness sears through. The tendency with those types of wounds, is to lash out. Hurting people hurt other people. Thus, the language or mindset of slavery is maintained in these instances. As Lee acknowledges her being gay, we see Audrey rage at her with a vengeance is mine says the Lord (Romans 12:19 NIV) type of attitude and the only course of action is
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violence. This behavior is not exclusive to black families, but much of the research done, proves that the language of slavery has been and is still being maintained throughout the black community. In the book “Brain Damage: The Slave Mentality of African Americans“, author C. R. Brown explores the impact of systematic slavery and clearly denotes the effects it has had and continues to have on the black community. This is not to say extreme discipline doesn’t exist in other cultural settings, but it is specific to those who are black and sadly something we see expressed in this film. “But we are programmed through the societal experiences of our parents, grandparents, enslaved ancestors to behave in a certain manner, which is consistent with being inferior to Caucasians and the ‘system’ is set up for us to fail if we attempt to progress. In relation to slavery an ancestors, the mental and physical conditioning and treatment of the slaves taught them to feel inferior”. Lee’s truth telling just adds more fuel to the fire as her God-fearing mother makes her a target. How tragic and sad to see such rage towards one’s own child and yet, it is not uncommon when it comes to coming out to your family of origin. Shame is the name of the game and if you do not fit into the norm, you are creating even more obstacles for yourself as you go up against the white establishment. Following this violent and tragic event, we see Lee emerge from her own chrysalis. The heartbreak and shaming has given her a new creative energy and an awareness that provides her a canvas to write her own treatise. Text that is beautifully relayed to her writing teacher in the final minutes of this film. One cannot help but be moved as we hear her name and claim these verses of revelation. Pariah still 2011© “Heartbreak opens onto the sunrise for even breaking is opening and I am broken, I am open. Broken into the new life without pushing in, open to the possibilities within, pushing out. See the love shine in through my cracks? See the light shine out through me? I am broken, I am open, I am broken open. See the love light shining through me, shining through my cracks, through the gaps. My spirit takes journey, my spirit takes flight, could not have risen otherwise and I am not running, I am choosing. Running is not a choice from the breaking. Breaking is freeing, broken is freedom. I am not broken, I am free”. It is truly humbling to hear her recite these verses. I am reminded of the Psalms of the Old Testament. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3 (NIV). Lee shall bear good fruit in season for she has found her voice and God wills each of us to use our gifts and be authentic. When thinking upon the concept of freedom, we as Caucasians have never had to wonder what that is. Most of us in the West have been given it upon birth. But as someone of color like Lee, who is also gay, true freedom can be denied depending on circumstances. Jesus said in John 8:32, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. – (NIV). In my mind that says God encourages us to be the unique and wonderful individuals we were created to be and to live into our truth no matter color, gender or sexual identity. “I’m not running, I’m choosing” are the powerful words spoken by Lee to her father in the final moments of this amazing film.
How appropriate as she is starting to come into her own for the first time in her young years, that she has decided to go off to college early and live in her new found freedom.
She agrees to meet with her father who still attempts to convince her that home may be the best place for her, but she strongly denounces the idea and is bound and determined to leave.
Still from Pariah ©
Arthur convinces her to go see her mother before she heads out of town, but she is only greeted with coldness. Lee tells her mother she loves her even after she beat her. Her mother is cold and aloof and responds by telling her she will be praying for her. What a tragic, missed opportunity. However, Lee can be at peace knowing she did her part and attempted to remedy the rift. At this time it was not to be, but as we see Lee smile while looking out onto the road ahead of her, one can’t help but see that renewal is in the air and life has just begun for this impressive child of
God.
In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Tennessee Williams A street car named desire? In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' and Tennessee Williams 'A street car named desire'?
“Untouchables” were what they were known as they were from a low-class group, but they had a name that supposed to have the meaning of a “drummer” and “sorcerer.” The word pariah has evolved from the 1600s, where it was just a name of a low-caste group from South India to today’s definition of being a member of a despised class of any kind. Pariah has now also, became a title of a movie that shows the story of a African-American lesbian and her struggles to be who she is and not what others would like her to be. Pariah holds much more meaning than a name of a movie or a name of low-class group, but instead its holds a meaning to someone who has been hated on and avoided to be made into a social outcast.
Harper Lee wants the readers to consider how gender roles affect societal roles and how the lives of men and women are drastically different during the novel’s time period. Women now have many more opportunities than they did in the 1930s, yet it is still sad to see very few women working in the higher level positions in larger companies today. However, this is a great improvement when compared to a society where women rarely worked outside of the house. Hopefully, this gap between men and women will continue to shrink at a much more rapid rate in the near
In a fashion typical for commercial and literary authors alike, Lee did not blatantly state her observations. An author’s writing is more than ink on paper, so authors like Lee use writing as an advocate for their convictions or to explore the extent of human beliefs. Lee calls on her own childhood experiences to provide both background and inspiration for her writing. The discoveries of her youth influence the primary theme of her only novel because living in Southern Alabama in the 1930s showed her that while there are no absolutes when is comes to morality human reasoning, there are patterns that the people of her early childhood followed (Madden 12). Not only did her early life influe...
When she stayed in Alabama, she lived with her sister who took care of her legal and financial affairs. Lee was very involved in her church and community and became famous for avoiding the press as a celebrity. She even went so far as to only donate to charitable causes if she was able to do so anonymously.
The lives of men and women are portrayed definitively in this novel. The setting of the story is in southern Georgia in the 1960’s, a time when women were expected to fit a certain role in society. When she was younger she would rather be playing ...
perspective on the concept, arguing that gender is a cultural performance. Her careful reading of
Lex Luger, a retired wrestler and television producer, reflects that “Many times, the decisions we make affect and hurt your closest friends and family the most. I have a lot of regrets in that regard. But God has forgiven me, which I am very thankful for. It has enabled me to forgive myself and move forward one day at a time.” Luger believes that you shouldn’t dwell on what you’ve done but grow from it and move forward with your life. At times, we can feel taken for granted, but there is always a way to move beyond the situation and feel better about ourselves. Dee, Alice Walker’s main character, has hurt both her mother and sister, but Mama, as all mothers do, overlook their children’s shortcoming and forgive. Dee unappreciative her whole life not caring about the hard work her mother and sister Maggie has put in to help her have a better life, making sure she had and education and was able to go to a good college in Dee wanted to do was forget about and where she came from only caring about herself; which drove Mama and Maggie to shift a lot in the story. Mama finally becoming of herself speaking up for Maggie you would say her overlooked daughter. While Maggie got a sense of happiest on the inside to finally ends up with the quilts compared to always having Dee get any and everything she wants. Now Dee has realize that her bratty and spoiled ways aren’t
Within today’s world and all the way through history, everyone is either defined as a girl or boy. A simple concept known as a person’s sex or gender. Gender has established roles for each of the different sexes in which people are pushed in a guideline. As society advances there so often comes up with outliers, challengers, or rebels that propose against society’s gender rules. Harper Lee or the author of How to Kill a Mockingbird mentions the topic of gender and how people discriminate on it frequently. Even in times people push their children or even peers to being what they don’t personally feel like they are, as some transgender parents often due. Harper Lee wants to inferences that gender is a defining society rule.
Lee started out in a loving home, that turned into her running away from home at the age of fifteen. Lee became well known with drugs and went on to having a son. Lillian Rose Lee was kidnapped one day while walking along the road and was held captive for eleven years. Since then Lee has begun to live out her dreams(Bush). Even after captivity, Lee decided to continue her life in a positive way. Living life the way a person wants to should be an individual 's main priority, and Lillian Lee is a prime example of this and shows that life really does go on. In an effort to change her life for the better, Lee knew she had to make major changes within herself. One article about Lee’s life after captivity says, “Knight legally changed her name to Lillian Rose Lee and has become an advocate for victims of abuse and violence(Jones).” Michelle Knight, or Lillian Rose Lee, has become a major survivor from numerous events, and had the courage to make a commitment of changing her name. Lee helps to let other victims know that life will be okay. Lillian Rose Lee’s life obstacles are not over yet though, she still has many more to come and she knows it. Lillian Lee will probably never have children or see her son again due to the fact that he was adopted while she was in captivity, but she has decided to not let that stand in her way of living her life. She has rode a motorcycle, recorded her first single, and dedicates her time to helping survivors(Jones). Therefore, instead of dwelling on the past, Lee has decided to be happy and make her dreams come true. For Lillian Rose Lee, life still goes on and seems to be going in her
Throughout this piece of literature, there are numerous cases of gender discrimination that are apparent. While this particular prejudice may not play as large of a role as a theme as others, it is still quite critical to the overall storyline. Much of the use of this discriminatory element is obscure throughout Harper Lee's novel. Nonetheless, after careful analyzing of the plot, this component is decidedly noticeable. In the opening chapters of the novel, we are introduced to this unit through Scout's interactions with her older ...
When looking back over her life, so far, she says not a bad life. Then again she’s not done yet and hopes to have another good ten years. I leave you with her life’s message.
The gender binary of Western culture dichotomizes disgendered females and males, categorizing women and men as opposing beings and excluding all other people. Former professor of Gender Studies Walter Lee Williams argues that gender binarism “ignores the great diversity of human existence,” (191) and is “an artifact of our society’s rigid sex-roles” (197). This social structure has proved detrimental to a plethora of people who fall outside the Western gender dichotomy. And while this gender-exclusive system is an unyielding element of present day North American culture, it only came to be upon European arrival to the Americas. As explained by Judith Lorber in her essay “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender”, “gender is so pervasive in our society we assume it is bred into our genes” (356). Lorber goes on to explain that gender, like culture, is a human production that requires constant participation (358).
Lee starts to take more pride in her appearance and her demeanor as she is aroused by the domination progress and begins to rely on it on a day to day basis. Sadomasochism becomes Lee’s whole life, it controls her.
The American black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese was released December 25, 2013 and stars the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie. While on face value The Wolf of Wall Street looks like a film about excessive cocaine binges, long evenings filled with men with cigarettes, large portions of alcoholic consumption, having many sexual escapades with various women and even dwarf tossing from time to time, the film is deeply rooted in perception gender within the genre of The Wolf of Wall Street. The word ‘genre’ is rooted into a similar category as