Eat Your Rage
Date
2023-05
Authors
Craig, Lauren
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Abstract
“Eat Your Rage” is comprised of four short stories that explore the motif of cannibalism, and how it is used as an expression of rage by affected communities. This work views the motif through a feminist perspective. During the pandemic, I began to see cannibalism as an expression of a person’s reclamation of control from an oppressive and dominating culture. I was reading things like Tender is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica and Earthlings by Sayaka Murata or watching popular television series like Yellowjackets. In this literature, cannibalism is a character response to the hostile environment.
I theorize that literature turns to this violent social taboo because it is a dramatic display of dominance and control. Due to a marginalized position in society, the hero lacks a sense of control over their life, cannibalism is a response to that loss of control. The character demonstrates a desire to prove their authority, and the act of cannibalism alludes to achieving complete autonomy over themselves and control over their oppressors. They make a social and spiritual transition from the consumed, into the consumer. It serves as a very literal metaphor for the way in which marginalized communities are depleted, abused, and preyed on by a patriarchal and capitalist society. And how sometimes, the prey hunts back.
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Keywords
cannibalism, rage, marginalized communities, feminist, eat your rage, cannibalist, cannibals, control
Citation
Craig, L. (2023). Eat your rage. Honors College, Texas State University.