 |
| source |
This photography piece is by Wing Young Huie. It is a visual representation of the phrase 'Everyone has a cross to bare'. The photo does not have a location specified. Huie did not tell the audience where he took the photo. But he did take the photo in 2018 and published it to his website.When you first look at the photograph you see a man holding a cross and walking. He seems to be in a rural setting based on the lack of houses and buildings. The photo is also blurry which was done intentionally by Huie. The photo is not focusing on any one person or setting.
When looking at the photo more in depth there is a religious meaning behind the man. The Bible calls for everyone to pick up his/her cross and carry it. That is the one way into Heaven. The cross for Christians symbolizes the sins in peoples' lives, and carrying it shows we acknowledge and remember how people in the past literally carried the crosses they would die on. This photo shows how all people will have a cross to bare no matter what type of person you are such as gender, social status, etc.
In both the photograph and 'The Handmaids Tale' there is a concept of "othering." Having the man carry a large cross shows he has many sins which singles him out of the group. The photo also has only one person in the frame and that is to further separate him from the group. In 'The Handmaids Tale' Offred is made an other by her outfit.What she wears creates a barrier between her and the other women in Gilead. In Huie's photo it shows a barrier that is typically unseen. Carrying a cross is usually an inward journey. In 'The Handmaids Tale' all the barriers between the women can be physically seen. Unlike the photo the barriers in Gilead will always be out in the open and cannot be hidden. Though similarly both barriers are religious.
For more information about Huie's artwork go here.
