Wednesday, April 27, 2016

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John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) introduces a new civilization based in a desolate area (it definitely isn’t Eden). The use of extreme long shots outside the base illustrates the total isolation in which these men live—it’s a white abyss. The first person to interact with, to intrude upon, this small sector of civilization is greeted with reciprocal hostility. Because he is viewed as a threat, he is instantly killed. This leads to questions of the ethics of those in this newfangled civilization. Accusations of murder occur in the film, but they’re met with indifference. Has the environment altered the way in which this new civilization approaches ethics? It appears as if the civilization resorts to primal behavior as a means of survival. In “Cinema’s Darkest Vision: Looking into the Void in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)”, Heather Addison claims the film “deconstructs human existence, reducing it to an irresolvable uncertainty.” She continues by claiming The Thing provides discourse concerning Reagan-era masculinity and fears within a patriarchal society. However, this argument, while convincing (there are plenty of points I agree with), gives me bouts of déjà vu. I will approach The Thing with a feminist lens, but I will be using Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” for my argument (I’m aware that it will be difficult to apply this essay to a group of hypermasculine men, but some people…or things…want to watch the world burn).

In her essay, Haraway claims that the cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, erases binaries (e.g. humans and nature, male and female, etc.), which were created through social constructs. Throughout the film, the men interact with various technologies within the base, and these technologies are utilized on a daily basis. Radios, helicopters, television, computers, and the other technologies required for work on the base influence the activities of the men. However, MacReady and his handling of the flamethrower convey a visual representation of a human-machine hybrid. Through his consistent use of and reliance on the flamethrower, MacReady has an intimate connection with the object—they become one. The binary of gender has been eradicated on the base, due mostly in part to the absence of female characters. The woman on the poster seen on the base has become an artifact of a previous civilization, one that emphasized binaries. Despite the shelter needed for the civilization to thrive, the divide between human and nature has been blurred. MacReady’s appearance reflects his surroundings when he is locked outside the base. His hair is covered in white snowflakes, and his skin tone has changed to a cool hue. He embodies the elements of the Antarctic. Dead, charred bodies become a part of the landscape. The texture and color of their remains personify the rocky cliffs the camera captures while following helicopters. The victims of the Thing also present evidence of binary erasure between human and animal, because it attacks and embodies both types of lifeforms.
  
Other than being viewed as a threat to the lives of the men on the base, the Thing is also a threat to the non-binary system that has been created on the base. The Thing appears to be intersex: it has a “castrating vagina” and phallic tentacles—it could itself be viewed as a manifestation of the sexually non-binary. However, it still threatens the cyborg civilization because it assumes the appearance other lifeforms, taking what was cyborg and making it wholly itself. The threat imposed by this creature results in paranoia and unrest amongst the men. Its existence creates a binary between the men-cum-cyborgs and itself, a binary that is quite literally destructive to this new civilization.

1 comment:

  1. Jessica,
    I enjoyed this analysis and thought you made some really solid points. The flamethrower was really striking to me, as well. Thinking of the "thing" as an almost purely reproductive being, both in its spreading of itself and reproducing of shapes, then the flamethrower almost seems to be the human equivalent of that in this film. MacReady and the gang spray it pretty willy nilly, though its use is more to maintain current life rather than create more. I also really liked your point concerning MacReady's arctic appearance, as I hadn't considered the thematic implications of that change in aesthetic. Nice post!

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