Improvising Gender: A Study of Octavia Butler's "Imago"

性別即興表演：析讀畢特勒的《成象》

陳樹信(Shu-Shun Chan)

《SPECTRUM ： NCUE Studies in Language, Literature, Translation》 6期 (2010/01) Pp. 21-33

https://doi.org/10.29601/YYWYLL.201001.0002

摘要

性別是天生抑或是後天建構？世上只有男人和女人兩種性別嗎？畢特勒（Octavia Butler）的《成象》是《異種創生》三部曲裡的最後一部；《異種創生》述說人類在核子災難後，外星人從廢墟、瓦礫中拯救了人類，僥倖得以存活，但必須與外星人交換基因，活著代表人不再是「人」，而是與異種的新合體。在基因交易，人與異種的互動及交配過程中，呈現三大問題：一、人類不能用既有的辨別性別方法（即以陽具的有與無），去理解外星人的性別；二、在交配的過程當中負責基因調配的烏來（Ooloi）其性別操演（gender performativity）已超越了同性戀、異性戀、及雙性戀，超過人類可理解的行為；三、決定性別、人類／異種身份的視覺符碼及基因密碼均可因種種內外在因素（如環境變遷及基因治療等）而改變，呈流動狀態。《成象》在講述新『人』類第三代的孿生『兒』喬黛（Jodahs）阿娥兒（Aaor）蛻變成人的故事。小說裡他們沒有既定的『天生』性別，也沒有『後天』建構的性別，而他們的性別會因環境及所遇到的對象而有所變化，如喬黛可以蛻變為男性與女人做愛，卻沒有陽具；而阿娥兒跳進河裡後變成一隻沒有骨頭的軟體生物（mollusk），出水後又因遇到男人而變為女性。總之他們的性別並不可以用男性、女性、或者第三性去理解，因為他們的性別無時無刻都在變動中，無法用人類既有性別規範（gender norms）去理解。本文擬用巴特勒（Judith Butler）的性別操演理論（gender performativity）及瑟理夫特（Nigel Thrift）的即興認同觀念（identity as improvisation）去解讀《成象》性及性態（sex and sexuality），試圖去理解其中的性別（gender）是否也是一種即興演出，會因演出者所處的環境及觀看對象的不同而有所變異？從而讓大家思考二元性別（gender dualism）是否有所侷限，無法完全瞭解人類性別的複雜性？

關鍵字

成象 ； 性別二元論 ； 性別操演 ； 性別認同 ； 即興

並列摘要

Is gender born or given? Are there only two genders-male and female in this world? Is dualistic gender a rigid identity? Being the last part of Lilith Brood (aka Xenogenesis trilogy), Octavia Butler's Imago is pondering upon these questions. Lilith's Brood, in three parts, tells a story that human is almost wiped completely in a nuclear holocaust. From the ruins and fragments, Oankali, an alien species, save human from becoming extinct; however, people have to pay a very high price: to exchange genes with the Oankali. Likewise, human is able to survive, but in a quite different manner- people can no longer be ”human” anymore if they choose to have their genes exchanged. Instead, they will become a new kind of hybrid that exceeds all the boundaries of being human, especially in gender. In the process of gene trade, interaction, and mating between human and Oankali (a kind of alien) three major problems arise: First, human can no longer identify the gender of the new generation with existing criteria- with or without phallus. Second, in the mating process, the Ooloi's (another kind of alien) role and gender performativity have already transgressed the boundaries of heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and even other unknown kind of sexuality. Third, the visual codes and genetic codes that decide the identity of both human and alien are liquefied because of various internal and external factors, blurring the definition of being human as well as alien.Imago is mainly about a pair of twins, Jodahs and Aaor, who metamorphoses into adults. When they are born they do not have any identifiable sex. Nor do they have any assigned gender after birth. Instead, their sexes/genders shift in accordance with the environment and the people they meet. For example, Jodahs can change into a male, female, or even third gender because their sexes/genders change all the time, exceeding human's gender norm. This essay attempts to employ Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity and Nigel Thrift's concept of identity as improvisation to interpret the matters of sex/sexuality in Imago in order to fathom whether gender is a kind of improvisation or not? Will gender change because of different views and different environment? Will gender shift in the process of improvisation? Does gender dualism come to its limitation so that it is unable to explain the complexity of people's gender?

並列關鍵字

Imago ； gender dualism ； gender performativity ； improvisation ； gender identity