Wing Young Huie is an accomplished photographer who works to depict American society in his photos that show race, culture, homelessness, and other prevalent aspects of society. His works have been recognized worldwide as brilliantly revealing about the everyday life of Americans. One particular black and white photograph of his captivated my attention as it draws on emotion even with its astounding simplicity (Huie).
This Wing Young Huie photograph was published between 2007 and 2010 during his work on his University Avenue Project photographing life in St. Paul, Minnesota. It shows many people in a room praying, with the focal point being the man in the wheel chair near the center of the photograph. The room is very blank, as if it were whitewashed, and there are bright lights beaming down on the people still in their heavy coats and hats. Their heads are bowed down to the floor except that of the man in the wheel chair who is unable to have the same posture.
When taking a deeper look at the photograph, we see that the clock shows that it is almost 2 o'clock, but there are no windows in the room to indicate the time of day. This creates an ominous feeling as the details and setting outside of this simple room are completely unknown to the viewer. There is also one man in the far left corner that is sitting in a chair and not touching his head to the floor but he is not the main focal point of the picture. Instead, the man in the wheelchair is seen amongst his peers as the one that is an outcast or set apart from the rest of society due to his disabilities. This shows the intent of the author in the way that he chose to present the room and his goal of depicting every day situations in a different light to ensure the reader reflects on how we see certain cultural, social, or economic groups.
In this photograph, and many others, Huie uses the concept of "othering". This is a way to show someone, or a group of people sharing a common trait or identity, as different in comparison to the rest of society. This is seen in the photo as the man in the wheelchair is distinctively set apart because of his disabilities. Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale, also uses this technique effectively in her novel about a dystopian society that oppresses women by degrading them into positions controlled by men.
In The Handmaid's Tale, one of the groups that is clearly set apart from the rest of society is the Handmaids. They are forced into having the children of the society just to then give them up to the wives of the Commanders they work for. Atwood depicts "othering" as there is a denial of Handmaids simple societal rights in the Republic of Gilead. They have no freedoms and while many of the other members break the laws, they are tightly regulated to ensure that they are fit for their only purpose in life: having children.
This is exemplified as the Commander's Wife has a cigarette, an illegal item that she was easily able to obtain. In one of their only friendly interactions in the entire book, she gives Offred, the protagonist Handmaid, a cigarette and says, "'Find yourself a match... They're in the kitchen, you can ask Rita for one. You can tell her I said so. Only one though... We don't want to ruin your health!'" (Atwood 206). This uses hypocritical language because it draws attention to the fact that Offred is not usually granted these basic freedoms to do what she wants to do, as in her past life she was able to smoke whenever she wanted to. The denial of Handmaid's rights clearly ostracizes them in society as they are left with almost no power or control over themselves.
This is furthered by their clothing that sets them apart from the rest of society. Handmaid's have to wear bright red dresses with a veil and wings fitted around their head so that no one sees their faces. They are given government regulated clothes and Offred describes it as she says, "Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us" (Atwood 8). This sets them apart from the rest of society as they are degraded into this position and judged just based on simple appearance.
The photograph by Huie uses the same technique of color to show "othering". The photograph is purposely displayed in black and white in order to emphasize the actual content of the picture. Using color might have distracted from the main focus of the picture, the man in the wheelchair. But using black and white allows the readers' eyes to be drawn to that focal point instantly. This furthers the author's point about how society sets people with disabilities apart or anyone that is seen as different. Both The Handmaid's Tale and the photograph make their audiences reflect on how we view other people and how this impacts our thoughts and emotions.
Works Cited:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Anchor Books, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017.
Huie, Wing Young. "Front Page (Horizontal)." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/p557435520/h6acc493d#h65e13214.
Huie, Wing Young. "CV." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/CV.
Huie, Wing Young. "University Avenue Project (2007 - 2010)." Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/p929219206.
"Othering - Definition, Examples, Related Words and More at Wordnik." Worknik.com, www.wordnik.com/words/othering.
