Reading Journal: Castration and Masculinity

Castration and Masculinity

While reading the Body, I was able to find a very interesting part. It was a part when Gordie finds leeches on his testicles and has his blood sucked. What makes it more interesting is Gordie’s reaction to this phenomenon.

“I can’t get it off,” I said through numb lips. “You….can you…” But he backed away, shaking his head, his mouth twisted. “I can’t Gordie,” He said, unable to take his eyes away. “I’m sorry but I can’t. No. Oh. No.” He turned away, bowed with one hand pressed to his midsection like the butler in a musical comedy, and was sick in a stand of juniper bushes.

You got to hold on to yourself, I thought, looking at the leech that hung off me like a crazy beard. Its body was visibly swelling. You got to hold onto yourself and get him. Be tough. It’s the last one. The. Last. One.

I reached down and picked it off and it burst between my fingers. My own blood ran across my palm and inner wrist in a warm blood. I began to cry.

This would be the single death that actually occurs throughout the whole novel. No death was depicted with such in-depth description. Gordie temporarily faces death of his masculinity. While other boys smoked, swore, fought over petty things to look masculine and macho, Gordie faces a direct threat upon his penis.

There are two things to be noted from this passage. (1) Gordie’s attitude (2) relationship with feministic values.

(1) Gordie’s Attitude

It is always good to have companions on the trail of life. But what one should also be noted is that he is living his own life. He will live neither another person’s life nor will someone live his life for him. In such sense, this is one of the few times throughout the story that Gordie faces his own problems. Until this time of the story, the boys were all along with each other, solving dilemmas in group. When Gordie is in threat of being castrated (at least in a symbolic sense), he asks for help to Chris, whom he identifies as the group’s leader.

Chris rejects to help, and this indicates that Gordie should solve his problems alone. This is the biggest threat ever and no one but Gordie himself can help it. After a short dilemma, Gordie does succeed in taking off the leech from his testicles, and faints right after. This can be considered as a partial victory against the great threat.

(2) Relationship with feministic values

However, it also means that he have partially lost against his threat. The fact that Gordis faints is an indicator of a temporary death. What does this symbolize?

Castration is one of the biggest fears that all men possess subconsciously, no doubt. But going directly against it and fighting it off is a different issue. Only a few men can do it. Only when a man wins over his inmost fear is when he can resurrect and achieve true masculinity.

In such sense, Gordie’s experience is very similar to that of Perseus. Perseus is a plain country boy until he slays Medusa*. Medusa is the symbol of vagina dentata (fanged vagina)**, which is castration of manly figures. Hence its direct meaning, fanged vagina, it is an indication of castration. Because Perseus dares not look directly at the fear of castration, his victory is incomplete. Still, he slays the monster and becomes a hero. Gordie did not overcome his fear completely. He faints, which means that he couldn’t endure the terror of being castrated. But just like Perseus, he achieves a partial victory of winning over it himself, without the help of anybody else.

And there is another issue to consider.

That the leech had sucked blood from his testicles can be interpreted as a partial castration. Although Gordie stopped the castration, it was in process. Blood, red and vivacious liquid spilt out from his penis. This must mean that he has lost some form of masculinity that he has strived so much along with his group of friends.

But is this a negative influence in the journey for maturity? I believe not. In contrast, I think that it was a necessary process for Gordie to restrain from being an excessive macho. From the beginning of the novella, the boys try to imitate macho behaviors, such as swearing, smoking and fighting. Although such traits are far from true maturity, they think that it is “boss” and continue doing so. Gordie was also a part of such activities.

Just before this incident, Gordie encounters a deer just by himself. Although he notices that it is a feminine figure, he appreciates it. If he was along with other boys, he might have said it was “pussy-like”, or maybe shot down it with a handgun. However, he is astonished by the deer and exclaims at the beauty of it. This shows that Gordie has some feministic traits within himself. Only the partial castration made the revelation of such traits possible. No more bluffing, no more super-macho, but balanced individual with mature traits.

* Medusa is very often depicted as  a hardship that heros must pass through. However, unlike other normal mosters, it is often compared to femme fatales, or dangerous female figures. It also represents a dangerous women's sexual organ, depite its wavy hair and fangs. Its monstrous ability of leering is also a trait that contributes to the stocked metaphor.

**If you're more interested in the concept of vagina dentata, you can see this movie. It's r-rated, but still inspirational. Gives a lot of things to think over about. This movie also gives an analysis of Perseus and the overcoming by the hero. However, instead of having the perspective of the hero, this movie focuses on the women's point of view towards the villians, clearly different from heros like Perseus. It is said that the idea is rooted from Greek Mythology and Freud. Psychology wizards might be interested, so good luckㅋㅋㅋ

To Anonymous: Sorry I don't have the file. 
But I think I would be able to answer to your second question.
The idea of exaggerated masculinity can be thought as the imaginary world that Gordie possess(concept of Phallus, or the Penis). He does not think he is a "macho-man", but he seeks to achieve that ideal ego, and the internal evidence is his swearing. However, just like Hamlet when he is pierced by his rival, he gets his blood sucked off his testicles. This is very important. It means the castration of the Phallus, meaning that Gordie has succeeded to differentiate the desire of "the others" and "I". By this stage, he proceeds onto the Symbolic World. After doing so, he would be able to see himself and continue his life-thus advance in life- into the real world, not imaginary.