(1) Wing Young Huie

Wing Young Huie

Upon first examination, you see a man carrying a cross on the sidewalk. He is wearing a colorful patterned robe and sandals, and has salt-and-pepper hair down to his shoulders. His shadow, as well as that of the cross, are visible to his right. Behind him, there is a wire fence in front of a field and to the right, a billboard that has a building and a phone number on it. To the left there is a wall of buildings as well. He is only carrying the cross with one hand, and the cross is dragging on the ground. After looking at this picture for a while, I realized that it reminded me of how people usually portray the scene of Jesus carrying the cross up to Golgatha.

Catholic in Brooklyn

To me, it seems as if this man was (either intentionally or unintentionally) appearing like the typical portrayal of Jesus. He has his robes and his sandals, long hair and facial hair, and of course, the cross. The difference is that the man in Wing Young Huie's photo looks tired and defeated. While most images of Jesus with the cross show him putting all of his effort into carrying it (like the picture above- both hands on the cross, hunched over, etc.), the man in Huie's photo looks as if he's given up. He is only using one hand and the cross is dragging on the ground, his shoulders are slumped forward but he isn't hunched over. He looks as if he's been carrying that cross around for a while. What I can't seem to figure out is why that man was carrying a cross to begin with.

At first, I thought it was possible that it was a posed photo. However, most of his photos are candid, capturing people in their natural state. (The only posed-looking ones were those of people showing off artwork.) That, to me, means that this man was carrying around a wooden cross of his own accord. Why would someone do that voluntarily? I think there is a possibility that he could be a Christian, or someone else that believes in Jesus, and he could be carrying the cross as Jesus did as a way to try to understand the suffering that he went through. It is very difficult to see someone with a cross and not make religious connections, as that is one of the biggest symbols of Christianity there is. However, that is still a big question that comes from this photo.

The most prominent similarity between Atwood and Huie's portrayals of "othering" is the image of physical aloneness. In The Handmaid's Tale, the "other" characters are those that are sent to the colonies, a place intentionally separate from the rest of the functioning society. Even Offred is made to spend most of her time alone in her room, away from everyone else. In Huie's photo, the man is completely alone, in front of an empty field. To compare him to Jesus just one more time- when Jesus was carrying the cross up the hill, he was being singled out and shamed. That was the point of making him carry the cross he was to be hanged on, and making him do it alone. This man, while not necessarily on his way to be hung on a cross, is also alone and carrying that shame that comes along with the symbol of the cross. Similarly, that was the purpose Atwood gave to the "others" in her book- to shame, and to isolate.