Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (SJHSS)
Volume-10 | Issue-06 | 294-299
Review Article
The Otherization of Collective Identities of Both Sexes in the Blind Assassin Under the Camera Focalization
Leilei Zhang, Hongting Xu, Xunxun Liu
Published : June 25, 2025
Abstract
The Blind Assassin, is the masterpiece by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, whose complex structure, various themes and identity concerns have always been the focus of controversy among literary critics. However, few of them explore the otherization of male and female characters’ collective identities in the novel through narrative focalization. Thus, based on some theories relevant to identity concerns and feminist narratology, the paper tries to investigates how camera focalization simulating objective observation——constructs and others the collective identities of both sexes through embedded news clippings. The analysis reveals that female collective identity is othered through patriarchal mechanisms and the reduction of women to decorative objects under the gaze. Meanwhile, male collective identity undergoes otherization through intra-group power struggles. Thus, the paper exposes the co-domination and the co-shaping of both sexes by masculinity and patriarchal culture, and Atwood’s advocation of decentralized gender view and harmonious relationship between the two sexes, providing a reference for the relevant studies on identity politics and narrative forms.