In The Fifth Season, Jemison challenges
how society determines who are monsters. In the beginning of the book, Damaya
comes to the realization that stills view her as a monster. Shaffa tells her,
“You are lightning, dangerous unless captured in wires. You’re fire-a warm
light on a cold dark night..that can destroy anything in its path-” (95). She
has never considered herself to be a danger to others; however, Schaffa
instills in her that she a liability unless controlled. Her own mother tells
her, she has “pretended to be a child when she was really a monster, that was
what monsters did” (31). As a young girl who feels abandoned by those
who she believed to love her, she is fragile to Schaffa’s influence and begins
to depict herself as a monster.
When Syenite and Alabaster arrive in Allia,
they are not treated with the respect they deserve. For the first time, Syenite
vocalizes her distaste for their unfair treatment. When conversing with one of
the deputy governors she remarks, “‘And that’s a really shitty apology. ‘I’m
sorry you’re so abnormal that I can’t manage to treat you like a human being’’”
(216). Syenite highlights that the deputy governor is rude to them solely based
on the stereotypes surrounding orogenes. She poses the question of who the real
monsters are: the orogenes or those who treat them inhumanely.
Despite her own monsterization, Essun uses the
same term to characterize Hoa. She describes him as “a monster who can turn
living things into statuary” (189). Here, Essun begins to reclaim the word
monster in a similar manner to how Syenite and Alabaster reclaimed the term
rogga. She does not use it in a derogatory manner and instead references
herself. A few lines later she is expressed as having “a lot of experience with
children who are secretly monsters” (190). While this could refer to her
children, Uche and Nassun, I believe it also encompasses her experience as
Damaya. Essun not only challenges the assumption that orogenes are monsters,
but also that stoneaters are.
Throughout Damaya’s transition to Syenite and
ultimately Essun, her definition of the monster shifts. As Damaya, she is
vulnerable and accepts the title because she feels powerless. However, upon
meeting Alabaster, he challenges her to look beyond what she has been taught.
Here, she begins to understand that the world is corrupt and that her
monsterization lacks reason. She opens her eyes to the fact that she is not the
real monster, for she does not treat others cruelly but receives cruel
treatment from others. Finally, Essun becomes aware of the fact that orogenes
are not the only group that stills consider monsters. She does not understand
Hoa because he is a stoneater and different than her. Instead of isolating him
for this difference, Essun accepts him because he has done nothing to deserve
the title of monster.
Jemisin questions how society defines monsters
throughout the novel and comes to the conclusion that one cannot monsterize
groups of others due to physical differences. The only way to determine whether
an individual deserves to be called a monster is by how monstrous they treat
others.
This blog post outlines an important aspect of the novel, the use of the word monster and what that means to call someone a monster. The fact that Damaya, Syenite, and Essun all struggle with this word it outlines a problem in our society with labeling. As was discussed in class many things/people are called monsters because they are different from us and not understood. As seen in the book Damaya and Syenite both experience having monster as a description used against them and how that takes a toll on their self-image. The reader can see that the characters don’t deserve that label but yet they are called those names because they are different from others. This can be related to in the real world how because people are different from us, other cultures are different from us names and labels are used that are often negative and it just stems from differences in people. Jemisin makes this important allegory to give argument to her notion that negative terms, specifically in the use of monster, needs to be used (if it is going to be used) against ones actions and not their appearance or others preconceived ideas of their personality and culture. Essun’s use of monster against Hoa shows the reader what mental toll it can take on a person if they are feeling constantly attacked and could be conceived as Jemisin’s argument that some races bad behavior is just an effect of their historical oppression not their true character.
ReplyDeleteThis is an incredibly important theme of this novel. Labeling groups as monstrous deems them as much lesser, and feral. Orogenes are seen to struggle with this phrase, and though they possess powers that make them different than others, this term truly outcasts them as a group. When Damaya was still in training with her guardian Schaffa, he instilled the idea within her that she was truly a danger to others. In her training, he broke her hand to test her ability to control her emotions. When she questioned him, he said that it was because “‘I am your Guardian. I will break every bone in your hand, every bone in your body, if I deem it necessary to keep the world safe from you’” (Jemisin 99). By separating world and self, Schaffa isolates her and instills a belief in Damaya that she possesses monstrous, uncontrollable abilities. This thought continues throughout the book, but it is clear that the belief that orogenes and monsters were nearly synonyms can be traced back to the beginning of Damaya, Syenite, and Essun’s story. It is not until she meets other older and more wise orogenes, that this belief is challenged, since society pushes this belief so strongly.
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