Mamie Buckskin in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

In lieu of the heated and time-consuming discussion of race in class last time, I'm afraid we never got to talk about a queer/gender analysis of this book which I think could have been particularly interesting.

While there are other situations one could examine in the book that deals with either of these themes, one character I found particularly interesting was Mamie Buckskin, a member of the traveling carnival that we meet in the chapter entitled "Acrobats of Desire."  Mamie is identified as a sharpshooter who sexually prefers women.  "She was a paradox--a fully phallic female with the bosom of a nursing mother and a gun, death-dealing erectile tissue, perpetually at her thigh" (108).  This passage tells us that something is not right about Mamie, she is paradoxical because she is both masculine and feminine at the same time, she does not fit the mold of how a woman should act, of her 'proper' gender role.  Not only that, but we understand that Mamie also likes Desiderio because he does not fit the typical assertive, powerful gender role of a man.  "She took a great liking to me for she admired passivity in a man more than anything . . ." (109).  To say she defies the norm may even be putting it lightly.

Ultimately Mamie is a part of this carnival of freaks and other extraordinary individuals that, from the point of the view of the puritans in the last town they visit, are hopelessly damned (115).  Desiderio even repeats this idea among the last lines of the chapter when he states, "Saints and damned had died together . . . " (119-120).  It is not hard to imagine that the town-folk would think Mamie is damned because she sexually prefers women in conjunction with her defiance of typical gender roles.  It may have had something to do with her act in an American burlesque house where, pretending to be a cowboy, she shot all the clothes of her beloved mistress "whom she had abducted from a convent" (109); of course, they probably did not know that story, but it is still a good ground for damning a person.

What does everyone dying together at the end of this chapter have to say about Mamie however?  Does this show that, despite her unconventionality, she is no more damned than the supposed saints who die right along side of her?  Of course being damned would refer to her afterlife which we are not given any insight into, but surely the mass death has something to say about the fundamental equality of the sinners and the saints, especially since it was nature that killed them (through which God has been known to act).

Fun with Postmodernism

I strongly agree with Thomas. The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman holds similarities with “Apocalypse Now” (Thomas said Heart of Darkness). What seems so interesting is the story of Desiderio. He encounters many different people and cultures, but in the back of his mind is always this mission to kill Doctor Hoffman. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow pilots the boat into Africa for his own enjoyment. Captain Williard’s tale in “Apocalypse Now” is very similar to Desidero’s tale.

That being said, I would have to The Infernal Desire Machines from a post colonialist literary perspective (which previous bloggers have commented on). What makes this story interesting to the perspective is the idea of post modernism. When indigenous people bow down to Captain Williard or Kurtz, that is to be taken as a sign of imperial superiority. But since The Infernal Desire Machines is a post modern piece of literature, the book satirizes this concept of imperial superiority. Desidero says, “it was quite possible to feel that they [the river people] were not fully human” (73). Most post colonialist literature gives this feeling of inhumanity, but few pieces of post colonialist literature actually comes out and says it. The absurdity of the sentence (as well as many others) makes this book easier to understand as a piece of a post modernist satire.

This idea continues throughout “the River People” chapter. Carter writes, “I [Desiderio] found the perfect place to hide from the determination police and a never-before-longing in my heart now found itself satisfied” (76). This begins to tackle concepts of social Darwinism. The belief that the River people are removed from the world banks on the notion of inferiority. Even more ridiculous is the second part of the sentence. The longing in his heart to join the river people implies that Desiderio thinks he is part of the natural. It also implies his wish to leave “civilization” (92). The notion that Desiderio leaves civilization to join the river people is a piece of social Darwinism. Desiderio may leave European culture, but he does not leave civilization. Once again, since Carter is a postmodern novelist, she understands that many writers before her (Conrad, for example) implored these post colonial images, and now she has the chance to poke fun of them.

Angela Carter's The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

This was without a doubt the strangest book that I have ever read; however, I think that may be a good thing. This is not a book I would have just read for fun, it’s not my top of book; but I have thoroughly enjoyed discussing this book with the class (even if we spent too much time on race). No other book has provided me with the ability to discuss drug use, rape, consenting sex with a minor, centaurs, cannibalism, carnies, and a host of different things. This book is almost indescribable because it is so strange and different.

For my final paper I really want to talk about this book because there are just so many different ways of viewing/reading it. I think a post colonial analysis will be the most interesting because then I can touch on the ‘anti-conquest’ nature of the book. We discussed in class how there were so many similarities between this book and other books; obviously Gulliver’s Travels but Heart of Darkness and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are two other examples. All three of these books are considered conquest books because at their most basic level they are about a journey or an ‘adventure.’ Infernal Desire Machines is another book about a journey, but it seems to be critiquing and expanding on the traditional conquest narrative.

One thought that keeps reoccurring to me is what kind of bad guy is Dr. Hoffman, and who does he remind me of? I came to the conclusion that I think Dr. Hoffman is a mix between Kurtz, The Riddler, and Andrew Ryan/Atlas (the ‘villains’ in the video game Bio Shock). If anyone else has an opinion on the matter or any thoughts, I would love to hear them. I think the Kurtz similarity is relatively obvious, especially with the river boat ride. On page 70, towards the bottom, there is a very Conradesque passage describing the River People. “Since, however, they bore no goodwill to the whites and very little to the blacks, if it came to that, they took a cool pleasure to witness from the security of their portholes the occasional havoc in the towns through which they passed” (page 70). If anyone has played the video game Bio Shock, I think it is almost impossible not to see a little Andrew Ryan in Dr. Hoffman.

Do You Smell A Racist? I Know I Don't!

I am going to have to agree with Roger here. I also found it tedious and trivial that all we focused on was race. We were talking about a book that focused on the suspension of reality, thus nothing was what it should be. For instance, there were centaurs. Need I say any more?

Going through some parts of the book again, it only cements this idea that there is indeed no racism present in this book, although I can see why some of the students felt there was. The “Coast of Africa” chapter did use some stereotypes on indigenous peoples of Africa, but like I stated previously in class, these kinds of stereotypes were present for many groups and such in the novel. This is apparent with the Acrobats of Desire who all gymnasts. Now, these male gymnasts all rape Desiderio…so does this mean that Carter is stereotyping all gymnasts as gay and that all gay men would rape a straight men in a heartbeat? I’m pretty sure that is not the angle she is going for here. Once again, the angle here is the suspension of belief.

Now, if we were going for the stereotype angle towards females…well, that one is just easy. Look at Albertina, her name can be rearranged to spell “Trainable.” Coincidence, I think not. Albertina is literally a puppet for her father and sees things the way her father does. Furthermore, the female centaurs are basically alive just to be degraded. That is their whole reason for existence. Is Carter being a misogynistic writer? I don’t think so – she is just suspending the reality in the novel and allowing us to see a twisted world where everything is distorted and topsy-turvy.

On a final note, to just reinforce the idea of what Roger calls the “Unreality,” look at how sex is viewed: a lustful way of releasing one’s desires and sexual angst. Not once is it viewed as a beautiful thing, except when Desiderio is about to make love to Albertina, but that never comes to fruition because of the search party looking for Desiderio. Most would think of sex as a way to show their love for another, but in the novel, it is used as a forceful way to show dominance, power, and/or lust over someone (as in the cases with the Count and LeFleur, the Acrobats and Desiderio, Desiderio and Mary Anne, and the machines, just to name a few). Sex is distorted as a lustful and meaningless tangible object that has no emotional attachment to it at all.

So lady and gentlemen, this is why Carter is NOT a racist and is only perpetuating the “Unreality” and distorted world of that in "The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman."

"UNREALITY" in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

About halfway through class on Wednesday, I began to get a little discouraged. It seemed all we were talking about, in response to Angela Carter's The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman, was race/stereotypes. Don't get me wrong: I don't mean to say that these are not important issues in the book. However, there are so many other things to talk about! Thus, I think we got to John's point (I think it was his), that the book is about the perversion of reality, WAY too late in the class. In fact, I wanted to mention it about 20 minutes before he did, but I didn't want to interrupt the flow of discussion (and perhaps I should have). Nevertheless, Professor Brewer's question (I cannot remember what it was, now) provided an excellent point of departure, and if no one else brought up "unreality," I was going to. Thankfully, John DID bring it up.

It is interesting that—before we started talking about the (unreality) machine and its effects—we spent so much time on race. What is it about those two chapters about indigenous peoples of Africa and America that brings out this topic? Why, when we could talk about all the other perversions, and, yes, even stereotypes, did we focus so much attention on race and racism? It seems our Wabash educations and our own specific identities have conditioned us to be sensitive of race, which is good under most circumstances but not, necessarily, for the purposes of discussing this particular book. I think that, to discuss this book properly, we first have to recognize the perversion aspect, and THEN discuss why that element is important TO the racism in the book. What does Carter's use of unreality vs. reality say about racism? Is it supportive of a NEGATIVE attitude TOWARD racism, or does it SUPPORT racism (the latter of which seemed to be the only question we entertained on Wednesday)? Carter does not seem to be prejudiced in any OTHER section of the book, does she? So why these two?

What about on page 16, when Desidero goes to the opera and sees all the peacocks? Animalization comes to mind. Another example is when Desiderio sees his mother as a "fat, white owl" (26). There are more, but I think that is enough. My point is that there are plenty of other instances where Carter portrays people as animals, less than human, etc., and many of them are NOT in the two chapters on indigenous peoples. I thought we would talk more broadly about these themes, rather than talk almost exclusively about racism itself.

Finally, another theme that I was sure we would get to is the panopticon, or voyeurism. We have already talked about this theme in class, quite extensively, and I was sure someone would mention it; so I will do it now. The following is one such instance of a panopticon-like gaze: "[...] on the window-ledge itself, I would have been visible to any watcher in the square as if it had been daylight and, when I let the blind fall with a faint rattle, the sound provoked a volley of knocking on the door so I knew the guard was wakeful" (63). There is another example on page 65. I find it interesting that Carter uses the panopticon here, as it reinforces the idea that ANYONE could see the prisoners/subjects in the panopticon, not just guards/doctors/etc.

What else can we talk about in relation to this book?

Tucker Max and the Hegemonic Male

http://www.tuckermax.com/ (read a story to understand)

I have always been a diehard fan of Tucker Max’s writing. To me, there is not a better story teller (in terms of humor) in the United States. Upon preparing for my presentation, I have done a lot of research of the basis of hegemonic masculinity. This has led me to ponder why, exactly, do I love Tucker Max and can he be defined as a hegemonic male?

In terms of hegemonic masculinity, Tucker Max can be defined as a hero. He drinks, parties, and sleeps with a lot of women. Although, not necessarily a “positive” role model, there are many men throughout college campuses wishing to associate themselves with his specific attitude and lifestyle. According to his stories, he is the dominant man. He has the pen, and thus, cannot be questioned. He lies, insults, and scams his way in order to keep himself as the authority.

An important aspect of hegemonic masculinity is the identity of the heterosexual. Most, if not all, of Max’s stories center on sexual encounters with women. With this, heterosexuality and homophobia are essential to the concept of hegemonic masculinity. As Max Donaldson writes, “Male heterosexuality is sustained and affirmed by hated for, and fear of, gay men” (“What is Hegemonic Masculinity?” pg. 6). Max has a specific story (“The Worst Conversation Ever”) where he follows one of his female friends into a gay bar in Chicago. Initially, Max is frightened by the bar, but this passes as time goes on. Then, a gay man walks up to Max and tells him that “you [Max] have probably had sex with a man before.”

At first, Max ignores this, believing that the gay man does not know what he’s talking about. Then, the man goes into detail on how Max could have had sex with a man in the past. The more details the man goes into, the more scared Max becomes. Finally, Max becomes so affected by the gay man’s words, that it throws Max into a “funk” where it takes him weeks to recover. This is where Max, as a heterosexual hegemonic male, proves his fear of gay men. This leads to a better understanding that Max can be considered a hegemonic male.

The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman

To begin, I must state that this book was indeed one of the strangest I've ever read. I'm still having trouble figuring out not only the plot, but the overall style as well. There are so many different themes (feminism, sexuality, colonialism, etc.) intertwined with theories like modernism and post-modernism that, unfortunately, make me think that I'm only at surface-level with this work, and that there is a much deeper current I'm unable to reach.

All that being said, the most intriguing aspect of the book for me was Desiderio's pent-up passion in the beginning of the novel, and whether it is further repressed or, instead, released through his encounters in the peep show.

Desiderio recalls, "I was an exceedingly romantic young man yet, until that time, circumstances had never presented me with a sufficiently grand opportunity to exercise my pent-up passion. I had opted for the chill restraints of formalism only out of sharp necessity. That, you see, was why I was so bored" (41). The first time he experiences the peep-show, Desiderio says that he sees a representation of the Prime Minister's penis in one slide and the face of Dr. Hoffman's ambassador in the other. I wonder if this points to an underlying homosexual impulse in Desiderio, that perhaps when in the state of arousal he fantasizes about men he is familiar with. Certainly, the notion of Desiderio being purely homosexual is strongly challenged by his later relationship with women in the novel, notably the very young Indian girl on the river, and of course, with Albertina. Yet the inclusion and mention of phallic symbols which appear throughout the novel, and the fact that Desiderio IS the one telling the story, make me believe that it is at least credible to believe that perhaps there is some sort of homoerotic tendency within him. I don't think I personally believe this, but after finishing the novel, it was really the first aspect I thought about.