Michel Foucault also mentioned the gaze from the perspective of penology. In his theory of three orders, Lacan pointed out that the real is prior to the imaginary and the symbolic because of the power of eyes and the spectatorship. He articulated that the gaze is composed of the real physical gaze and the spectre gaze, which is driven by the desire. He noted that others’ gaze facilitates greater self-consciousness, which may produce anxiety and an unsettled mind.

Jacques Lacan, based on Freud’s psychological analysis, centered on the realization of gaze. The object is defined through the act of gazing by the gazer based on their character and development. Freud stretched out the theory of the gaze through the term “scopophilia.” Driven by libido, the individual gets a pleasurable feeling by gazing at the object. The concept of the gaze originated primarily from Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. The goal of this paper is to collapse the binary of male and female and justify the self-identity of marginalized groups represented by the Binewski family. Finally, this paper centers on the crowd’s gaze on the Binewski family and how the family members collapse the stereotype about them to establish their self-identity. Next, this paper elaborates on the gaze of mass media represented by the camera’s gaze, specifically explaining how it exerts influence on consumers but fails to affect Oly. I will then contrast the male gaze and female gaze in the novel, collapsing the binary of male and female. First, this paper gives a brief introduction about the gaze theory.

This paper will focus on the gaze in the book through four sections. Reading the book from the perspective of the gaze creates a new understanding about marginalized groups. Previous scholarship has barely touched upon these topics in Geek Love. A close reading of the novel reveals opportunities to apply gaze theory to analyze it. Geek Love reckons with patriarchal themes and the marginalization of “freaks,” represented in the novel by the Binewski family.

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