"Othering"

                               Author: Wing Young Huie

                               Date: 2012

                               Publication: We are the other

This photograph was taken by Wing Young Huie of two men surrounded by what many would call junk. Magazines, yarn, clothes, hats, chairs, a lamp, and more yarn cover almost every inch of the photograph. The two men in the middle are looking at each other with smiles on their faces. One appears to have bleached hair, skinny jeans, and is knitting something. The other man sits on a zebra print chair, and he is wearing a t-shirt and jean shorts with a closely shaved head and sneakers. This man holds a chalk board with the words, “People think I am intimidating but when they know me I am soft inside,”.

At first glance one might immediately think of the word hoarder. At closer examination, the yarn and knitted objects surrounding the two men suggest that they are in a knitting store or club. The chairs and other objects hold an eclectic style and the connotation of a collection of items from many places over time. The loud patterns and colors show stark contrast with the ‘tough’ man to the right. He looks oddly out of place but his facial expression (disregarding the sign) exposes a sincere personality under a manly exterior. The smiles the men hold while staring at each other hint that the men are homosexual. The sign the tough man holds shows how he is aware that he is judged by his exterior but thinks of himself as a soft soul, or kind man. 

The juxtaposition that is shown in this photograph by the eclectic style to the predictability of the right mans clothes may be seen as a way to show the differences in the men. This ‘othering’ of the tougher looking man is further represented through the acknowledgment of the prejudice his appearance holds. His intimidating look is something he is aware does not describe his “soft”, and most likely (as presented by this photograph) homosexual “inside”. The two men show also the effect of “othering” at an entirely different level, from societal views. The connotation of manly and what it takes to be a man fits with the man to the right, while the man to the left presents his own personality. He is knitting, something common to women, and owns a zebra print bag. The man with the sign is breaking his own image by sitting in a zebra print chair and exposing his “soft” side. This antithesis gives depth to the “other” lifestyle, homosexuality. 

Margaret Atwood uses description and direct comparison to popular culture to give an identity to the “others” in The Handmaids Tale. The “others” can be seen as the entire society, as the community is set up so different to the present. Everyone has a purpose, and while handmaids are heavily described, the “others” are given descriptions that lead to in depth analysis of their character. Each position in society is presented from Offred’s point of view, an important thing to note while interpreting the identities of these groups. Atwood uses many flashbacks to show how the entire society is incredibly different to what we are used to. This “others” the community and allows the reader to identify with the events. Offred herself is “othered” through Atwood’s focus on her story and her inability to connect with other characters on more than a superficial level (as is maintained by the government). Great bias allows the reader to see the story on different levels: this bias includes Atwood herself, the interpretations of Pieixoto, and Offred’s own mind.