The Primary Means of Distributing Fiction - Report Example

Lost as a Reinforcement of Masculine Values Fiction is often mistaken as being synonymous with fantasy,something that can not, will not and has not been true. And in some respects, this assessment is true as the very definition of fiction indicates it is “an imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented” or “a literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact” (“Fiction”, 2000). However, fiction can often illustrate truths better than fact and to a much greater degree. In today’s modern culture, the primary means of distributing fiction is through the medium of film or television. This format often provides a useful tool for the study and understanding of complicated concepts in a variety of fields. In addition to helping bring concerns to the surface, visual media such as this examines multiple aspects of a given phenomenon from a ‘lived’ perspective – that is, the characters must experience the event as it occurs, the action must be believable and the results must follow logically. Social theorists and academics have often turned to literature and its portrayal in film as a means of examining the affects of such events as colonialism and cultural hybridity which each played a tremendous role in the formation of our concept of the ‘other’. As these concepts are difficult to define or explain, fiction provides examples and analogies that bridge gaps in understanding as well as pose new questions to be answered. It also helps us to understand how these ideas were being formed and reinforced within the society in which these texts were written. Following the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, numerous programs reacted with a reassertion of traditional masculine stereotypes, establishing white-male dominance over everything that could be considered ‘other’, such as other races, women and other classes of society. An examination into one television series, Lost, illustrates how many of the concepts of the ‘other’, which had been relaxing to some degree in recent years, were reinforced and reintegrated into society through post-9/11 dialogues. The tendency to revert to a protectionist and insular worldview is natural following or during crises. “The post-9/11 backlash is not a historical anomaly, but represents a recurring process of the construction of the Other within liberal polities in which long-term trends of racial exclusion become intensified within moments of crisis within the body politic” (Nabor, 2006: 235). To understand what is meant by this, it is necessary to understand first what is meant by the term ‘other’ as it operates within the realm of racial relations, social relations and gender relations and why these ideas would be ‘intensified within moments of crisis.’ This is explained in the statement “[w]hat appears to be cultural units – human beings, words, meanings, ideas, philosophical systems, social organizations – are maintained in their apparent unity only through an active process of exclusion, opposition, and hierarchization. Other phenomena or units must be represented as foreign or ‘other’ through representing a hierarchal dualism in which the unit is ‘privileged’ or favored, and the other is devalued in some way” (Cahoone, 1996). Crisis situations create a natural human tendency to encamp for protection and security, forming a cocoon of perceived safety within the group that is organized and sorted according to these concepts of hierarchization. This is exactly what America did as a whole immediately following the 9/11 attacks and is reinforced within the films and programs its citizens applauded. With an understanding of the concept of the term ‘other’, it is possible to recognize these messages within any work of fiction, including films and television series. Analyzing the first three episodes of the series Lost reveals exactly what one might expect to find in a show beginning its run in 2004 regarding the three primary aspects of ‘otherness’ – race, class and gender. In depicting elements of the ‘other’ as it applies to race, the show reinforces the conception that if one is white, American or English and good-looking, one can emerge as a natural leader and dominant member of society. This can be seen in the first episode as Jack immediately begins taking charge among the various survivors strewn out along the beach. He runs from one emergency to another, rendering aid to others prior to actually tending to his own serious wound. Those he calls to assist him are also predominantly white as he calls two white men to come aid him in pulling a third white man from under some wreckage, assigns another white man to assist a pregnant white woman and deftly asserts his authority over yet another white man of lesser quality in resuscitating a black woman. However, if a character does not fit the accepted definitions regarding physical beauty, accepted race (white) or accepted nationality, that character is typically counted among the ‘bad guys’ or at least social outcasts of the story. This is again illustrated in the first episode of the show as an Asian man is seen to instruct his Asian female counterpart in what will be expected of her in this crisis. He tells her they must stick together regardless of what happens to everyone else and that they must never be parted. Although a black man and his son are among the survivors, appearing to be of a higher social class, this man is not immediately involved in rescue efforts or the establishment of temporary shelters. He is seen only as he takes the time to ensure his young son is provided for, indicating this is his only concern as opposed to the white man who is concerned with helping everyone. The man of middle eastern descent is only brought into the scene as he works to establish signal fires along the beach, thus quickly associating him with the burning wreckage and ideas of destruction. The division of races becomes more apparent with the second episode as the black man, in search of his young son, encounters the Asian couple seeking food within the tide pools. He evidently feels no compunction about approaching the couple as his worry over his son overwhelms any sense of racial differences. He immediately addresses his question to the Asian female because she is closest and sitting on the shore watching the Asian man in the water. The father asks whether the couple has seen his son, but is answered with nothing more than the Chinese dialect with which the couple speaks to each other. Whether they can speak English or not is not revealed, only that they will not willingly communicate with those outside of their race. Racial roles are also established in this episode as it becomes clear that the Asian man has done all this work of catching and preparing food only to offer it to the white survivors. When the Asian woman reaches out to take her portion, her hand is slapped away, indicating that she is of an inferior class and will eat only after everyone else has had their shares. The first individual the Asian man approaches with his unusual food is Hurley, who immediately refuses it despite being hungry – “I’m starving man, but I’m nowhere near hungry enough for that.” It is not beyond notice that Hurley is a lower-class white male, immediately establishing even him as above the Asians in terms of social hierarchy. It is also significant that Hurley rejects the Asian man’s offering, reinforcing the dominance structure as the Asian man has no other choice but to walk away. He next offers his food to a white woman, the pregnant girl, who, after a great deal of coaxing, attempts the food being offered and is immediately rewarded with the first signs of life from her unborn child since the crash. Concepts of racial tension are also explored through the figure of Sayyid, who is obviously of Middle Eastern descent. When the black man finds handcuffs in the woods, his reaction is not fully disclosed to the audience because it doesn’t matter. The reaction of the white men, however, does matter and this is the scene the audience is given when the handcuffs are made known. The show cuts from the finding of the handcuffs in the woods to the scene of a fight on the beach between Sayyid and a white man. Only after the fight is broken up is it revealed that it was the result of the white man accusing Sayyid for the plane crash. When Hurley attempts to make peace, he learns that Sayyid was a member of the enemy forces in the Middle East, but it remains Sayyid who is capable of fixing the transceiver and understanding the meaning of the radio signal. In the third episode, Sayyid demonstrates to an even greater degree his usefulness to the survivors as a man who has been trained in the art of surviving. He has already demonstrated in earlier episodes his knowledge of weaponry and of radio technology and, in this episode, is the first to realize that the expedition will need to set up a hillside camp for the night to avoid being stuck in the jungle in the dark. When Charlie expresses his confidence that radio satellite will be able to find them soon, it is Sayyid who explains to him why this wouldn’t work – “a camera is a point and shoot, someone needs to be aiming it at the right place.” When they return to the survivor camp, it is Sayyid who determines the story they would tell the others in order to keep their hopes up and who organizes the camp for longest possible survival. In spite of this, however, he is kept to a lower social level because of his race, which is continuously referred to by characters such as Sawyer. His continued efforts begin to place him within a more equal footing by the end of the episode, however, as he is continually seen to help organize and emerges as a spokesperson for the group to Jack regarding the state of the Marshall. This begins to establish his position as a second in command that he adopts in later episodes, but it is a position he must continually work at and retains only as long as he continues to provide invaluable assistance. Social class has often been considered to be a relatively accurate means of determining the quality of the man. The upper class of Britain during the time of colonization was, of course, the ideal by which everything else was measured. Thus, the wealthy, landed gentry were considered the height of the social sphere with their ability to participate in leisure activities rather than work. This was immediately followed and, in recent years even supplanted, by the professionals – the doctors, lawyers and high-powered businessmen. As has been pointed out, Jack, a doctor by profession, is immediately seen to take charge of the survivors as soon as he wakes up to reality. This is not necessarily due to his charming personality, but instead to the knowledge and subsequent power he has attained through his profession. By contrast, the black man, apparently also of the upper class business profession, is reduced to simply caring for his own son. One began to attain the flush of ‘otherness’ the further away from these ideals one became, whether these differences were brought about through the differences of color or through lower-powered positions within the working world. These concepts are based on somewhat deeper understandings than mere physical characteristics as wealthier families are able to provide their children with a better education and perhaps some travel while the poorer families would not have access to the same types of knowledge. For instance, although it is a white man who is attempting to resuscitate Rose, he is ineffective not because he has not been trained, he tells Jack he is a lifeguard, but because he is of the lower classes and is incapable of placing her head in the proper position to get the air into her lungs instead of her stomach. The classes begin to be separated to a greater degree in the second episode as well. Shannon demonstrates this as she continues to deny the situation and spends her time with the same sort of activities she did at home – painting her nails, laying out in the sun and refusing to eat processed foods she feels are unhealthy or will contribute to her weight. She demonstrates that her sheltered life has ill-prepared her for the shocks she has received upon the event of the plane crash. Although everyone has experienced the same degree of upheaval, she seems to feel that she is the only one attempting to overcome such hardships. As she talks with the pregnant girl, she seems to take on an air of superiority, as if she is gracing the other girl with the favor of her conversation and indicates that it is perfectly natural for her to ask very personal questions of the pregnant girl while the pregnant girl has little or no right to know anything about her. It is only as she has the opportunity to see the man she was mean to at the gate lying dead in the sand that she starts to understand that she is of no better or worse class than the other. However, it is also because of her social class, which enabled her to spend a year in Paris “shopping, not learning” that she is able to understand the looped radio signal that is picked up on the dying transceiver. The other characters also begin to demonstrate some level of social class distinctions. Charlie, a lower member of the entertainment class, emerges with a serious drug problem, establishing him as being of lesser class than several of the other emerging stars of the show. His method of interaction also illustrates him to be a coward and a sneak, trying to win his way into other people’s affections by allowing them to feel pity for him and eager to be subservient if it means gaining some recognition and favor. Hurley begins to emerge as a sort of lower class bridge between the various factions as he attempts to get all the survivors to get along with each other. The Asian man, having found recognizable and much-needed food within the tide pools, quickly prepares it into different dishes to serve to the other passengers, establishing himself as of lower social status because of his willingness to serve. In the third episode, Sawyer reveals himself to be of a lower social order than the distinguished Jack, but is nevertheless street smart enough to force a social standing among the others. His contentious means of interacting with others is insulting and derogatory, but accomplishes his objectives. His references to everyone in terms of nicknames focuses upon physical distinctions usually based upon race. His references to Sayyid continue to associate him with terrorist networks and names while his activities include looting the fuselage of the plane for his own personal benefit. He himself makes the distinction from these classes as he points out to Jack that Jack is still living in the world of civilization while Sawyer himself is already living in the world of the wild. This idea is reinforced in a negative light as the Marshal begins to suffer with his stomach infection instead of allowing him to die quickly and with less pain. This death is difficult for all of the survivors as the wounded man begins to scream in agony. Shannon wishes he would die and Sayyid confronts Jack about the ‘humanity’ of his decision, but it is Sawyer who attempts to do the right thing by shooting him and then botches the job, proving his inferiority. At the same time, Mr. Loc emerges as a sort of priest figure thanks to the miracle that occurred to him during the crash. While the nature of this miracle remains a secret through this episode, his careful whittling of a dog whistle and ingenious attitude toward the problem reveal him to be a thoughtful man and causes the audience to remember his strange behavior during the afternoon’s torrential rainfall. His care in helping mend the relationship between the father and son by allowing the father to return the son’s dog rather than bringing the boy the dog himself suggests a strong sensibility and loving heart. Issues of gender and sexuality have also proven to be tremendous stumbling blocks over which numerous characters must struggle in order to overcome the label of the dreaded ‘other’. Within the patriarchal society of the Christian nations, the female has always been relegated to the status of the ‘other’, frequently misunderstood, almost always under tremendous social constraints and easily removed from a favorable position with only the slightest provocation. White women, as the dominant race, were to be protected, pampered and cajoled into obedience while women of other races were expected to serve them and follow much more authoritative directives. While each classification of women – white and not-white – has traditionally been restricted within rigid bounds, the obviousness of these bounds were often softened for white women. A proper analogy for this would be the bird in the gilded cage for white women and the bird in the box for all others. There are numerous examples of this in the first episode of the series as the pregnant white woman is given a protector to watch over her while the recently resuscitated black woman is left lying alone on the beach trying to catch her breath. Another white girl is found painting her nails while she is brought food by a man looking out for her more immediate welfare. At the same time, men, as protectors and knowledge-holders, are expected to operate according to specific rules of behavior, namely that they were to be heterosexual, virile, yet also constrained and sensible of a woman’s good name. As Jack, Charlie and Kate explore the nose section of the wrecked plane, Jack remains conscious of where Kate is at all times, demonstrating a very protective attitude toward her while no one concerns themselves with Charlie’s whereabouts or welfare. A white woman was assumed to have a good name in society until she proves otherwise; however, even the slightest infraction of social norms could shame her in the eyes of the community regardless of her social rank, sometimes in ways that are completely beyond her control, as in the case of the pregnant girl suddenly finding herself alone. Differences between the genders are also brought into more detail with the second episode. This begins as the Asian couple is seen along the beach and the woman is approached by the black man in search of his son. Although he is only talking with her because she is closest to him, it becomes clear through the angry words of the Asian man in the water that the woman is not permitted to talk with the black man, no matter what the subject. She responds to the black man in Chinese, but with enough hesitation in her manner to make it seem as if she might have understood what he was asking and the cause of his worry – meaning that she can understand English but chooses not to make this clear in response to previous instructions. Although subtitles are not provided for this interaction, the next words from the Asian man in the water are apparently telling the woman to button up her shirt, which has only the very top button undone as this is the next action she takes. This is in direct comparison with Shannon, who is seen laying out on the beach like a bathing beauty rather than a plane wreck survivor, and with Kate, who is later seen bathing herself wearing nothing more than a pair of very brief bikini panties and a bra. Some might argue that Kate’s decision to go on a hike in an attempt to get the transceiver up high enough to achieve reception is an affirmation of a woman’s strength and right to do as she pleases. She announces her plan to Jack as matter-of-factly as any man might, but, through Jack’s reaction, is shown to be, in actuality, only requesting permission for the trip. She must argue with Jack and prove her reasoning is sound before she is permitted to make the trip. In similar fashion, Shannon, who makes the decision to join the expedition as a result of a childish tantrum, is only permitted to go along by her brother because he determines it is easier to indulge her than to fight her. However, he goes along as a means of protecting her from whatever dangers she might get herself into. Kate’s secret, at least part of it, is revealed during the third episode, placing her in a delicate position. Although others know of her fugitive status, no one is aware of her crime. The story told of her past reveals that she has consistently adopted a traditional female role. She was found alone, hungry and tired sleeping in a pig sty by a destitute farmer and is given a safe place to stay for a while. In this respect, she is rescued and protected like any proper damsel in distress. However, when the possibility of earning a profit arises, her knight in dungarees turns her in for the reward. Despite this betrayal, in true heroine fashion, she prevents her own escape because she stops to render aid to her betrayer and, on the plane, strives to ensure he at least still gets his reward money. Even the Marshall, before he dies, indicates he believes she is too saint-like for her own good, preferring to believe that it is all an act rather than sincere. Throughout the television series, ‘otherness’ emerges as a significant component as it is applied to physical appearances or characteristics, social status and gender within the microcosm of the island. In each episode, a gradual progression of thought can be seen to be taking place, not only within the literature itself, but apparently also through the accepted themes and expressions allowed in the general public. While issues of race are seen early on to have little obvious value in terms of identifying criminals and villains, later episodes made it increasingly clear that ‘other’ should nearly always be associated immediately with the concept of danger. Similarly, social class distinctions, which had seemed nearly invisible within the civilized world are seen to reassert themselves almost immediately when individuals are called upon to act based upon their understood hierarchies. Of particular note are the ways in which masculine dominance is seen to reassert itself throughout the course of the series as women invariably must be protected and watched over rather than taking on human adult responsibilities and actions. This is not for lack of trying but is instead presented as a natural fact of life within less civilized worlds. As these ideas become more and more defined throughout the course of the series, it becomes clear that the concept of ‘otherness’ operates only as society begins to codify and accept these defining characteristics. References Cahoone, Lawrence. (1996). From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology. Cambridge: Blackwell. Lost. Episodes 1, 2, 3. (2004). [television series]. Naber, Nadine. (2006). “The Rules of Forced Engagement.” Cultural Dynamics. Vol. 18, N. 3: 235-267. Read More