All societies universally make distinctions between men and women, while differing in their cultural conceptions of them. In a patriarchal society, for example, the way men experience reality defines their patriarchal culture and reinforces their culture's view (devalued) of women. James Crumley's story, Whores, shows how two South Texas men (influenced by the borderland) treat and devalue women. In this paper, I will use a feministic approach to analyze the story's title, its symbolism, and its connection to the ideologies that reinforce the devaluation of women as the nonsignificant Other. Furthermore, Crumley's vision of whores and wives will be compared with Gilbert & Gubar's angel verses madwoman in a mythical paradox.
In Whores, the title reinforces the myth that women are marked by their oppressors (men). The whore's image (fantasy) represents sexual desire, domination, and oppression of women by men. "A wry smile, a boy's grin" (Crumley 363) appears on Lacy's face, as he associates his sexual desire with the whore Elena and the word Mexico. According to Jacques Derrida, word play is important, as it opens all claims for stability in identity or truth (Richter 878). For instance, Lacy's comrade acknowledges the truth about whores. He claims that "Whores help me avoid the complexities of love, for which I am justly grateful" (Crumley 364). Thus, we see that the title represents something other than itself.
Unlike Jacques Derrida, other French Feminists turn to Lacan's philosophies (Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real), in their analyze of the oppression of women. In the Imaginary Order stage, for example, the human psyche's perception of the world concerns itself with nurturing, self-image, wishes, and desires. In view of this, the story's title signifies Lacy's unfilled desires with Elena (whore) and his fake relationship with Marsha. The narrator notes that "A life of indolence is really a search, ...a quest for that perfect place to place one's head, to sleep, to dream..." (Crumley 365).
In Whores, the title reinforces the myth that women are marked by their oppressors (men). The whore's image (fantasy) represents sexual desire, domination, and oppression of women by men. "A wry smile, a boy's grin" (Crumley 363) appears on Lacy's face, as he associates his sexual desire with the whore Elena and the word Mexico. According to Jacques Derrida, word play is important, as it opens all claims for stability in identity or truth (Richter 878). For instance, Lacy's comrade acknowledges the truth about whores. He claims that "Whores help me avoid the complexities of love, for which I am justly grateful" (Crumley 364). Thus, we see that the title represents something other than itself.
Unlike Jacques Derrida, other French Feminists turn to Lacan's philosophies (Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real), in their analyze of the oppression of women. In the Imaginary Order stage, for example, the human psyche's perception of the world concerns itself with nurturing, self-image, wishes, and desires. In view of this, the story's title signifies Lacy's unfilled desires with Elena (whore) and his fake relationship with Marsha. The narrator notes that "A life of indolence is really a search, ...a quest for that perfect place to place one's head, to sleep, to dream..." (Crumley 365).
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