Children of a Lesser God

SOC 3026S
Group Project
Group 3

1) How does the film, Children of a Lesser God help us to understand:

- Disability and Sexuality

In the film, Sarah used her sexuality to overcome her disability. People are judged by their sexuality and that is where their worth begins to stem from. According to Popplestone “in the arena of sex, the reality is that physical disabilities limit or alter sexual awareness”. [Popplestone: (in Press): 2]. In the film however, Sarah wanted to prove her worth and to be looked at in the same light as other females, thus she was promiscuous at a young age, as well as abused by men in that they took advantage of her disability. This is in contrast to Popplestone’s notion as her promiscuity rebelled against the absence of gender expectations [Popplestone: (in Press): 10]. Sarah’s behaviour disputes the notion that disabled people are constructed from a young age as asexual; Sarah rebelled against these ideas. [Sait: (in Press): 4, 5]. The fact that she did not know the names of the boys she had slept with reinforces the idea that she was only good for sex since she is not seen as “a person”; thus, disabled women are more susceptible to sexual abuse than men. [Sait: (in Press)]

Within the deaf community represented in the film, some of the deaf people’s responses when asked why they would like to be able to lip-read and talk alluded to the fact that they do so in order that they may be integrated in to the dating scene like any other able-bodied men. On of the characters says that if he is able to talk then he too may be able to attract “hearing girls”.

Sarah’s mother’s absence from Sarah’s emotional life somewhat encourages Sarah’s promiscuity. Sarah’s mother seemed to be satisfied enough with the fact that Sarah was recognised sexually by the opposite sex, but she did not actively educate her on the ways in which Sarah could possibly be abused by them; enabling Sarah as a victim.

- Disability and Gender

Sarah is assigned jobs that are generally noted by society as jobs for females. Her job as a cleaner in the school is a double burden in that she was deemed one of the smartest students in the school, but because of her abuse, withdrew and stopped exceeding her potential. That she is a woman as well, who is disabled, contributes to this double burden.

James’s approach to her initially is of one who wants to take care of her, which is a self-assigned role that she initially rejects. He tells the principal (their employer) that she will be moving in with him (James) without having initially discussed this with her, showing the power he holds as an able-bodied man when it comes to making decisions.

The principal’s reaction initially is one where he does not take James seriously, nor does he take the relationship he has with Sarah as seriously as he probably would have had they been two able-bodied people in the relationship. The principal alludes to the fact that the Sarah cannot succeed beyond her current stage, and that she is good enough as she is and will not need James to better her social status. He also implies through this that she is only fit to be a house cleaner (“What, so now she will become your maid”). He does not see beyond the scope of her disability and thus only sees her as a dependent and someone who cannot give more to society than her role as a cleaner.

That women are blamed for children’s disabilities is shown in the movie as Sarah’s father leaves the family when Sarah is very young. According to Popplestone, “men demand perfection; very often they abandon the mothers of their own disabled children. It takes a very special man to look past what society sees as an imperfection.” [Popplestone: (in Press): 11]. Sarah’s mother confesses that it was because he felt like a failure at having borne a disabled child. She also confesses that she hated Sarah for “making” her husband leave, which resulted in her negligent nature in rearing Sarah. This also contributes to the reason why Sarah was sent to the school. There are also sentiments that the father blames Sarah’s mother for birthing a deaf child, showing the dominance of the man’s voice in the direction in which a family develops. [Popplestone: (in Press): 11]

As a woman, Sarah uses her disability to enable herself, helping her to realise her autonomy and identities. She realises how her relationship with James was becoming detrimental to her eve becoming independent and content with her own individuality as a so-called disabled person. James’ presence, despite his longing to make her “normal”, inevitably made her inferior and by separating herself from him, Sarah is able to take back her power as a woman and as a disabled woman in the relationship. Her actions force James to also recognise her as a powerful and attractive woman that he lusts after and not for her perceived weaknesses as a disabled person. She forces him to go beyond the distinction of able-bodied vs. disabled-bodied within the constructs of their relationship. Instead, by the end of the film their relationship had become more so defined by the notion of “normalcy” as they were finally able to find the silence; a meeting place outside of the confines of social stratifications where they were bothe free to love. Sarah: “unless you let me be an individual, an I, just as you are, you will never truly be able to come inside my silence and know me. And until you do that, I will never let myself know you. Until that time, we cannot be joined. We cannot share a relationship”. [Children of a Lesser God].

- Disability and Class

Poverty is linked with disability in that parents who cannot afford to send their children off to special schools lessen the chances of their children having a place to work and attempt to be accepted in society. Parents who also cannot afford to send their children to these schools are also uneducated about their children’s needs. This automatically places the disabled in the lower economic classes within any society because of the constructs of society itself. It is generally more difficult to be hired for a job as a disabled person in comparison to an able-bodied person. Thus, poverty is imminent because the disabled are forced inevitably to be at the bottom of the social ladder as Sait stated “Poverty and disability are mutually reinforcing: the links between race and poverty, and disability and poverty are many, as are links between gender and poverty.” [Sait: (in Press): 2]. Because Sarah refuses to speak, she settles on becoming a cleaner. However she does re-empower herself in wanting to further her education and thus help her self find her way up the social ladder.

In addition to the difficulty finding employment, Children of a Lesser God depicts how people who are termed “disabled” are institutionalised because of their difference. [Hummer: 1985: 25]. The school itself is situated far from the rest of society, marginalising one aspect of society, and thus creating a barrier that is linked to lower (the disabled) class and the rest of the middle and upper class societies (the able bodied).


2) How does the film illustrate social processes of disabling certain bodies?

The film is about deaf people, and although it seems it has a message for all, it becomes ironic that it cannot completely reach those that are deaf as there are no subtitles. The notion that without speech one is not accepted in to society shows James’ role as a participant in society trying to enable the disable through speech.

Being disabled is seen as a disadvantage, and society further disables them through institutionalising the deaf in places that are far from the rest of “normal” society. This is done so that they may be “fixed”, and then reintegrated in to society once more. The school that is shown in the movie is situated on an island on its own, far from the rest of society. However this is a flawed system as sign language is not taught to the rest of society, therefore enabling disabled ness. By society not integrating themselves in to the disabled people’s realm, it further isolates the two groups of peoples. As a result, the disabled continue to be labelled as disabled.

The process of women empowerment is also shown through Sarah’s character as she defies the system. She refuses to speak saying: “I will not do anything I am not good at”. [Sarah in Children of a Lesser God]. Although she is seen as recluse and isolated in the beginning, conforming to what society sees disabled people as. She thus makes a statement by leaving James, and trying to empower herself. She initiates a restoration of her relationship with her mother, finds a job, and comes to find middle ground with James by only returning to the relationship once she herself feels that she has regained her power. This becomes an example of the strength of femininity and the human spirit.

Both of them reconcile their “voice” and “silence” by overcoming societal norms and stigmas. The ending of the film with the reconciliation of James and Sarah shows an important aspect of society – there has to be a mid-point where able bodied and the disabled meet.
*It is important to recognise disability and gender as social constructs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Charlton, J. I. (2002). Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability, Oppression and Empowerment. London: Univeristy of California Press. 21-36.

Hammer, J. 1985. Transforming consciousness: Women and the new reproductive technologies. In Cora et al, man-made women: How new reproductive technologies affect women. London: Hutchinson. 88-109.

Popplestone, R (in Press) Are blind people better lovers? In Steyn, M. E. and Van Zyl, M. On/off the edge: Shaping Sexualities Vol. 22

Sait, W., Lorenzi, T. Steyn, M. and Van Zyl, M. (in Press) [Mothering disabled children] In Steyn, M. E. and Van Zyl, M. On/off the edge: Shaping sexualities Vol.

Thomposon, R. G. (1997). Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature. New York: Columbia University Press. 19-51