Negative Affects and Performance of Possibility in Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other

Abstract

This paper explores the correlation between desire and power in the use of affects as a means to control feminine bodies to find subversive possibilities in the performance of certain affects in Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other. Sara Ahmed’s concept of “promise of happiness” and the concept of “cruel optimism” by Lauren Berlant, illustrates that while there are systems that oppress through negative affects, there are also positive affects, those that stem from the desire to be loved, accepted, and successful, that can be used to control and manipulate. The girl, woman, and others depicted in the novel are constantly exposed to violence and this vulnerability is taken advantage of, many times through the transmission of certain affects. This paper examines the use of what is generally thought of as positive affects, through the relationship between Nzinga and her environment, and her romantic relationship with Dominique. While the novel does not deny that the systems of affective manipulation in place are too large for one character to overcome, I assert through an analysis of the two central characters Amma and Carole, inspired by Judith Butler’s and José Esteban Muñoz’s theories on performance, that there are limited possibilities of moving up within the dehumanizing system through performance.