Sexual Politics In Kathy Goes To Haiti By Kathy Acker

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Politics have been around since the birth of Christ. The term politics in this essay will not be defined by the typical world of meetings, chairmen, and parties. Politics will be referred to as the power controlled relationships where one person is controlled by another. Kathy Goes to Haiti by Kathy Acker tells the story of a womans adventures in Haiti. The novel structurally layers graphic sex scenes and travel narratives in alternating chapters. Through travel and sexual adventures of the protagonist Kathy, the novel portrays sexual politics with the presence of a dominant male figure and the power they gain through such dominance. In this essay, I examine the presences of sexual politics in Kathy’s travels and sexual adventures.
When Kathy …show more content…

During these sex scenes the language of the novel becomes more descriptive which allows the sexual politics to be interpreted through the actions and words of the characters. The sex between Kathy and the taxi driver is only the beginning of men gaining power from dominating and degrading Kathy. For not only is Kathy at the mercy of men during sex but as the novel also describes her vagina, the author in her own way gives the man more power by using a degrading and harmful word such as “Cunt.” Both the taxi driver and Roger assert their dominance over Kathy by not only the sexual position but also in the type of sexual act performed. For instance in every sex scene there is a forceful and rough nature that always has the man in control and the sexual position “doggy style” where the man penetrates the woman from behind, again putting the control in the man’s hands. With Roger everything is strictly business and he has no sympathy for Kathy as “his huge cock rushes into her. He’s too rough and he hurts her (91).” With no worries for Kathy’s wellbeing, this is only another instance that Roger portrays the powerful dominant figure in this

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