Teacup, Cotton and Leather Shackles
Jordan Peele became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for the Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.” One of the most prominent themes throughout the film was slavery. Peele uses these memories and symbols of slavery to show that the election, and reelection of Barack Obama, does not mean that we are now living in a post-racial America. America’s racist history is still woven into today’s society. Slavery has been translated into systematic forms of oppression such as…
Trojan horse (technique)
We are not living in a post-racial world…
The Armitage estate is one of the first symbols of slavery that viewers are introduced to. Brooke Hughes, a graduate student University at Buffalo, State University of New York, wrote her thesis on “Get Out”. Hughes argues that “Get Out” has elements of Southern Gothicism and the Armitage estate is one of the foundations of this genre. Hughes describes the Armitage estate as “nestled amid acres of woodland, the Armitage household is reminiscent of the architecture of the southern tradition. With its luxurious wrap- around driveway, large white columns, large porch, and traditional brick exterior… the trees that hang over the driveway speak to the weeping willows that one might imagine in a plantation-style home. The design and the greenery of the home embody an architectural presentation of status and power.” (Hughes 13) The Armitage estate contracts the urban landscape that Chris resides in and often photographs. [Following this quote make your own comment on what Hughes says, and how the house is set to reflect slavery]
The Armitage estate is not the only symbol of slavery that appears in “Get Out”. The first symbol is the teacup. In an interview with SBS, a television network based in Australia, Peele states that Missy “is using a silver spoon in the scene, which is a symbol for privilege, but there’s also a connotation for me of clinking a teacup to calling a slave. I do know it was used to call slaves” (SBS). Historically, and still found presently in many Asian countries, the cultivation and trading of tea involved the use slaves. Like tea, cotton is closely associated with slavery in the United States. At the commencement of the Coagula procedure, Chris is retrained at his wrists and ankles by leather shackles, which evocative of the nature in which slaves would have been restricted. In this scene, Chris plugs his ears with the cotton that was used to fill the chair he was constrained to in order to block out the triggering sound that would have placed him into a state of unconsciousness. Peele uses the juxtaposing idea that Chris had to pick cotton to free himself. In the words of Hughes, “Peele’s use of cotton allows the historic forces that defined the labor of generations of black individuals to become the very force that enables Chris to escape.” (Hughes 25)
The party guests at the Armitage garden party only see Chris as a physical commodity which parallels the way in which slaves were treated as tradable goods and not human beings. The auction scene where they were auctioning off Chris’ body, was starkly similar to the ways in which they auctioned off slaves in the 1800s, although they poorly disguised it as a game of Bingo. The Coagula view the black characters as exploitable resources instead of individuals with their own aspirations and desires. Hughes concedes that “Much like the economic patterns of the slave trade, black bodies are represented as capital that is expendable to wealthy white populations that echo the familial structure of the Armitage’s. It is essential to understand that the procedures performed by the Coagula embody both the process of dehumanization of black subjects and the ultimate exercise of white dominance over them.” (Hughes 16) Further, Peele intentionally created Chris’ character to be artistic and has a kind demeanor. However, these characteristics are negated by the white characters because they see Chris’ black skin and view it as a product of physical ability and characterize him as aggressive even though he never shows these characteristics.
Peele uses symbols of slavery to highlight that our past is woven into our present. There was a social media debate that erupted when “Get Out” was nominated for a Golden Globe under the Comedy category. Peele responded by tweeting on November 15th, 2017 that “‘Get Out’ is a documentary.’” In an interview with The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, Peele stated that “The movie is truth. The thing that resonated to people is truth. For me, it’s more of a historical bio-pic.” The fact that “Get Out” was considered to be a comedy, is quite frankly insulting. There was some comedic relief utilized in the movie however, many Chris’ experiences are experiences that many African-Americans can relate to and there’s nothing comedic about that. Each symbol was intentional and well-thought-out. Peele cleverly intertwines memories of slavery throughout the movie, just as memories of slavery are sown into our society presently. There are ways in which the voices of black people are being silenced, the judicial system appears to be a manifestation of modern-day slavery, especially when consider the statistics of African-American that are incardinated. Hughes argues that by that “The Black Lives Matter movement has been discredited because it challenges the contemporary forms of liberalism that argue that racism has been eradicated. Counter movements like All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter have likely emerged from the general anxiety that white bodies are the proponents of these forms of violence. It is easier to discredit black bodies than accept responsibility for the forms of societal and police brutality that American society has allowed to continue.” (Hughes 57).
The theme of slavery in “Get Out” is used to start a conversation. Peele remarkably incorporates these symbols of slavery to insist that the dark legacy of slavery still looms over us. Slavery is just one of many themes that exist throughout the movie. These hints and ‘Easter-eggs’ are not always apparent during the first viewing of the film. This encourages viewers to watch the movie again and try to look for the deeper meaning of these symbols. Horror films often have hidden messages about society within the plot. Films like “Get Out” can invoke feelings of discomfort for some, but that is the exact reason why we need more films like “Get Out” because they shed light on the changes that need to be made within our society and encourages analytical and dynamic thinking.