Kala answers “I tried reading this book in college, but...”

Carol Maskus asked this question about Tropic of Cancer (Tropic, #1):

I tried reading this book in college, but had to put it down when he kept referring to women as bitches and whores. For women who have read the book, did that dissuade you?

Kala The labels are by far not the worst thing in the book. It's really not about what he calls the women but how he treats and describes them. It's a deep…moreThe labels are by far not the worst thing in the book. It's really not about what he calls the women but how he treats and describes them. It's a deeply misogynistic book, and sure, you can claim that it's all a psychological analysis and a demonstration of how horrible people are, but an analysis is something that analyses, that looks at different sides of an issue, whether through thought or action. Something that just describes women as garbage without ever questioning that idea is not an analysis. It's just misogyny. And, to be honest, I find it kind of funny, in a sad way, that people say this isn't a book to read because you want to feel validated in your views, because the world is still full of misogynists, and they WILL feel validated in their views with this book. That's what I find troubling. My problem with books like this is not that I feel uncomfortable or offended, that's largely irrelevant. It's that I've met enough violent misogynists in my life to not particularly appreciate books that make those people feel good about themselves.
Now, of course, I'm not saying books can't have bigoted characters or anything of the sort, but there's a difference between writing about bad people because bad people exist and acknowledging that they're bad, and writing from the perspective of a terrible person and never truly criticizing them.
Because there's no analysis here, there are no alternatives - the book is just filled with gratuitous bigotry that's never punished or questioned, and it would be ignorant and naive to believe that the world isn't filled with people who will read that and simply agree with the protagonist and feel validated. I like exposing myself to opposing opinions and trying to understand people that are different from me. But I see misogynists every day. It's not a rare fascinating opinion I need to go searching for. It's the reason I can't go outside alone after dark.(less)

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Tropic of Cancer

by Henry Miller

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