25th Annual Student Research Conference
"Monster or Freakshow": Queering the Demons Within Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters
Matthew J. Pietrofere
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters (1999) confronts and questions the objectification of women by highlighting the commodification of their bodies. The women are cast as supermodels to be objectified or as nuns to be pitied. The transsexual Brandy Alexander challenges the gender binaries by working within the system, maintaining her male genitals while flaunting her acquired female characteristics. Ostracized by society, unable to get any kind of job, Brandy uses her female body to seduce and blackmail men. In a sense, this is the only control Brandy can exercise, the power of the female body. This paper will draw on Judith Butler's article, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination," to show how the novel demonstrates Butler's argument that gender is nothing more than a social construct.
Keywords: Chuck Palahnuik, Gender, Sexuality, Transsexual
Topic(s):Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 106-2
Location: VH 1228
Time: 8:15