Male Gaze and Representation of Woman

Male Gaze and Representation of Woman

         Eye, symbol of honesty in many cultures, is a gate that accurately expresses inner feelings and purely reveals emotions. More importantly it is a representation of the person and has the power to influence through look or gaze; even without an eloquent speech the message is delivered effectively. Adam Keen argues, “ The eye itself is particularly privileged, figured as a site of both potential victimization and violation”(218). Because of these features, eye (more in form of look and gaze) has been persistently one of the important elements in horror genre, which helps audiences to identify with particular characters and get involve in the plot. According to Carol Clover discussion of eye and look there are two kinds of gazes in the horror movie: an “assaultive gaze”, the faulty and hidden gaze that mainly identifies with active presumably male killer (male gaze), and an “reactive gaze” which is reflection of being victimized and mainly associated with passive female (female gaze). The theory of Clover seems to correspond well with patriarchal, male powered bourgeois society, which attracts and incorporates male audiences’ point of view mainly. Although, trend in gaze has undergone some changes by empowerment of woman who appears as more masculine active protagonist, one concept remains the same, which is objectification of woman in horror genre. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) by Coppola well portrays the influence of gaze in representation of woman.


        “The killer is with few exceptions recognizably human and distinctly male; his fury is unmistakably sexual in both roots and expression; his victims are mostly women, often sexually free and always young and beautiful ones. “(Clover 77). Woman in horror always possess these features to satisfy male audiences with constant tendency to objectify woman. In Dracula, Coppola uses this objectification of woman to involve and entertain more audiences (presumably male and who identify with male gaze). However Coppola does excellent work in empowering woman under male gaze and portrays different representation of woman through Lucy and Mina.


Lucy is the beautiful, sexually attractive character who openly expresses curiosity towards sexual desires. She is initially empowered in the scene with the suitors where she flirts with suitors and is privileged to select her future husband among them. This figure of woman in society is not acceptable by the common male gaze. Therefore, male gaze that enjoys woman sexuality and simultaneously fears excessive sexuality, sees Lucy's sexuality problematic and punishes her. Under patriarchal industry, which values male satisfaction more, male gaze is retrieved again in the scene where Dracula rapes Lucy. This scene excellently involves both assaultive gaze, which identifies with male audiences (camera), and reactive gaze, which identifies with Mina who watches Lucy being raped.

         Although Lucy is punished for her empowerment and sexual representation, she is empowered again after converting into vampire. In monstrous presentation of Lucy, reactive gaze no longer incorporates victimization of passive feminine figure; instead it identifies more with men fear of being victimized. The scene between Jonathan and vampire brides is another scene that contributes to the change in assaultive and reactive gaze, which induces fear of victimization among male audiences who identify themselves with Jonathan.

         
Coppola takes another step though Mina toward empowering woman in horror. In the scenes between Dracula and Mina, Mina is no longer the passive figure of female in horror but she is the possessor of assaultive gaze in term of voyeurism. Mina finds herself attracted to Dracula, volunteers to become vampire, chose to stay besides Dracula and depicts platonic love by killing Dracula and releasing him from painful immortal life.

Work Cited


Knee, Adam. "Gender, Genre, Argento." The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film (1996): 213-30. 

Clover, Carol J. "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film." JSTOR. JSTOR, 08 May 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.