RECLAIMING THE GAZE: RACE, GENDER, AND VISUAL RESISTANCE IN JESMYN WARD’S LET US DESCEND

Abstract

This research examines how author Ward constructs the dominant themes prevalent in America in Let Us Descend.  Through the eyes of a Black female protagonist, Annis, she explores the male gaze in America. She focuses on Black female subjectivity and their resistance. The entire novel centers on a single pivotal point of resistance to patriarchal hegemonic control of gender and race, achieved through her acute sense of gaze and revival of spiritual and visual power. The research also emphasizes the objectives related to the different functions of the Gaze in her mind and within the novel's structure. The protagonist uses her spiritual sight as a tool of resistance and self-definition in a symbolic way. Earlier research works in literary fiction have addressed themes of trauma, ancestral presence, and memory. At the same time, Gaze, as a theoretical lens, has not been utilized in fictional literature and thus remains unexplored.  This research has filled and responded to the research gap by applying Gaze as a theoretical approach, integrating Mulvey's (2006) and hooks' (2012) gaze and oppositional Gaze, respectively, as interpretative theories. The research is qualitative, and the analysis process is done through textual-analytical strategies, which were embedded in close reading. The selected novel is Let Us Descend, by Ward, in which she conveys her voice through her character, Annis. Annis is a Black enslaved girl who is facing slavery and issues of freedom. The key findings of the research are that Annis developed the ability as she transitioned from one phase to another, reclaiming her sight, memory, and identity by transforming the traditional reality into a new narrative, one that is resistant and no longer a victim.     Her acute sense of vision, or Gaze, makes her a unique character. She can envision her late mother's suggestions for spending her life, and she refuses to be an object anymore. The research deals with an intersectional framework, reconfigures the Gaze, and transforms from passive to active.  The research contributes to fictional literature and allocates a scholarship by offering a new sustained gaze, enhancing discussions around African-American literature, feminist theory, and visual politics.  The findings also affirm that visions within the novel operate not as domination but as spiritual authorship, agency, and finally historical reclamation.

Keywords: Traumas, Gaze and oppositional Gaze, Resistance, Black girl protagonist.