Jordan Peele's "Get Out". An Analysis of the Gothic Construction of the Other in Relation to Neoliberal Racism in 'Post-Racial' America

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. AMERICAN GOTHIC

2.1 AMERICAN GOTHIC AND THE RACIAL OTHER

2.2 CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN GOTHIC

2.3 HORROR AND AMERICAN GOTHIC

3. THE BLACK OTHER

3.1 DANGER AHEAD: WHITE SPACES

3.2 A FAMILY AFFAIR: THE ARMITAGE’S LEGACY OF RACIST THOUGHT

3.3 A PAST THAT HAUNTS THE PRESENT: THE THEME OF SLAVERY

3.3.1 Georgina and Walter as Personifications of Slavery

3.3.2 Blackness as Commodity: The Modern Slave Auction

3.4 WHITE LIES, BLACK TRAUMA: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPNOSIS AND PHOTOGRAPHY

4. THE WHITE OTHER

4.1 WHITE PRIVILEGE

4.2 DESIRES AND FEARS OF THE WHITE OTHER

4.3 RESISTANCE AGAINST AND LIBERATION FROM THE WHITE OTHER

5. CONCLUSION

Research Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis investigates how Jordan Peele’s film "Get Out" utilizes the American Gothic mode to expose systemic racism and the covert, oppressive nature of white liberalism in an ostensibly post-racial society. By analyzing the film’s narrative structure and character dynamics, the work explores the marginalization of the Black Other and the inversion of the Gothic to position whiteness as the true monster.

• The intersection of American Gothic, history, and racial discourse.
• The construction of the Black Other through themes of slavery and commodification.
• The analysis of white privilege and "performative" liberal racism.
• The function of the "sunken place" as a metaphor for structural oppression and black paralysis.
• The use of resistance as a necessary, often violent, response to systemic white supremacy.

Excerpt from the Book

Chapter Summaries

1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the connection between the Gothic genre and American history, introducing Jordan Peele's "Get Out" as a tool for exploring contemporary systemic racism.

2. AMERICAN GOTHIC: Examines the theoretical framework of the American Gothic, emphasizing its role in negotiating the racial Other and its shift into contemporary visual media.

3. THE BLACK OTHER: Investigates the racialized settings and characterizations within the film, analyzing how the film depicts the Black experience through themes of slavery, hypnosis, and commodification.

4. THE WHITE OTHER: Shifts the focus to the white characters, exposing their privilege and monstrous nature as the architects of oppression within the Armitage household.

5. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the film successfully uses the Gothic mode to reveal the persistence of systemic racism and the necessity of Black resistance.

Keywords

American Gothic, Jordan Peele, Get Out, Systemic Racism, White Liberalism, Post-Racial Myth, Black Other, White Privilege, Slave Narrative, Commodity Fetish, Racial Gaslighting, Sunken Place, Resistance, Horror Genre, Structural Oppression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core focus of this academic work?

This thesis examines how Jordan Peele’s film "Get Out" employs the American Gothic genre to critique systemic racism and the liberal elite in contemporary America.

What are the primary thematic areas explored?

The work covers the history of American Gothic, the representation of Black characters as "others," white privilege, performative allyship, and the legacy of slavery in modern society.

What is the main research question of this study?

It investigates how "Get Out" inverts the traditional Gothic process of Othering to reveal the oppressive nature of white liberalism and the persistence of systemic racism.

Which scientific methodology is applied?

The analysis follows a literary and film-studies approach, utilizing theoretical frameworks from scholars of the American Gothic, race theory, and socio-political discourse.

What does the main body of the paper address?

The chapters systematically analyze racialized spaces, the legacy of racist thought within the Armitage family, the commodification of the Black body, and the ultimate necessity of resistance.

Which keywords best characterize this research?

Key terms include American Gothic, systemic racism, white privilege, the Black Other, and racial gaslighting.

How does the film use "The Sunken Place" as a narrative tool?

The paper argues that the "sunken place" serves as a metaphor for the structural marginalization and silencing of African Americans under the guise of post-racialism.

What is the significance of the "Coagula Procedure" in the analysis?

It is analyzed as a literalization of the exploitation of Black bodies, representing a science-fiction version of slavery used to sustain white immortality.

How does the author interpret the final resolution of the film?

The author concludes that while Chris escapes his immediate captors, his liberation is limited because the systemic structures of racism and his own emotional trauma persist.