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Lusus Naturae By Margaret Atwood

838 Words4 Pages

You never know what is hiding outside in the dark, cold night. Probably bears, coyotes, and hypothermia- which is why monster stories were historically used to scare children away from things that could harm them. As the genre developed, societal fears crept into the narratives; creating gothic stories about lonely people in decrepit castles, monstrous men who creep in womens’ windows, terrifying women who seek out sex to enjoy it, and lesbians. Incidentally, these stories can be seen in a very different light when reexamined today. Margaret Atwoods’ short story “Lusus Naturae”, published in 2004, is an example of a story far enough removed from the original context to play on the traditional themes of a vampire story in a different light.“Lusus Naturae'' explores themes of isolation, otherness, sexual deviation, and subverts the typical story of vampirism through symbolism and first-person perspective. Symbolism is used to show the protagonists purity and sexual deviancy. The protagonist of “Lusus Naturae” is buried in white (Atwood, p. 260), confronted with sex (Atwood, p. 262), and she bites a man on the neck, intended as a kiss, in a black dress (Atwood, p. 262). This specific arc portrays the protagonist’s introduction to sexuality and the culture’s perception of it- most plainly seen in the symbolism of the different dress colors, …show more content…

Her presentation by the end of the story worsens beyond her yellow eyes, pink teeth, red fingernails, and hairiness (Atwood, p. 259) to a growling voice (Atwood, p. 261), smelling of old blood (Atwood, p. 260), and appearance so shocking that even the protagonist cannot recognize herself (Atwood, p. 261). These descriptions paint a picture of a monster but through the first person narration, we can understand the innocent intentions of the protagonist and empathize with her experience of being an

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