Incest: The Universal Taboo
Before I started reading the first two books of Middlesex, I automatically assumed I would be writing a blog post about the nature of being born intersex and societal labels and the prejudices that arise because of those labels, etc. But as I started reading the novel, I was shocked to see how little of the first two books focus on Cal’s life. Instead, we get a long (and surprisingly detailed considering who our narrator is) tale describing how his fifth chromosome came to be through the genealogy of incestuous family.
Naturally, this week’s readings allow us to open up a conversation on one of the most taboo subjects of all time: incest. It is an almost universal belief that any romantic or sexual relationship with a member of the nuclear family is strictly prohibited act. The lines get a bit fuzzier with regards to more distant relatives or non-blood-related individuals, such as adopted children (Woody Allen, anyone?). In The History of Sexuality, Foucault discuses the formation of the nuclear family structure and describes how it is a cultural construction deeply rooted in the deployment of alliance. It is responsible for providing structure to society, whereas the deployment of sexuality is a more fluctuating model of living, allowing for more variation within its deployment.
It seems to me that the major reason behind the taboo of incest is not so much about the biological repercussions (although that certainly does play some role in it), but rather because we as a society are still so invested in keeping the boundaries of the deployment of alliance alive, even though (as Foucault notes in Part IV, Chapter 3) the deployment of sexuality and the deployment of alliance tend to overlap most in the family. Foucault cites the Christian focus on sins of the flesh as the major instigator for the increased awareness (and taboo) of familial sexuality. This is evidenced in how Desdemona acts after Milton is born. While her initial concern that her child would be born with serious defects was quickly eased following his birth, she was still left with an undeniable sense of guilt. Much like Pearl in The Scarlet Letter, Milton is the living embodiment of sin. And although Milton shows no physical deformities, Desdemona recognizes that the moral deformity that exists deep within his soul will never disappear.
However, not just religion and sin hold this taboo in place. Society itself rejects incest as a whole. Not everyone in our society is Christian or even necessarily believes in the power of sin (with regards to the existence of God/Judgment Day). And yet regardless of that, the taboo holds strong. I think it is simply because it is so ingrained in our culture not to engage in incestuous relationships. We just don’t do it. We don’t spend a lot of time talking or thinking why we’re not doing it (that’s why it’s called a taboo), we’ve just all somehow agreed that it is not “normal” sexual behavior. It’s fascinating to think about, and I think it will make for a very interesting discussion this week!
April 30th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Not only is Milton an embodiment, like Pearl, of his parents’ sin, but his birth as the result of an incestuous union and Cal’s being a hermaphrodite seems to reinforce the concept of original sin. It seems that future generations of the Stephanides family will suffer for the sins of their ancestors, which culminates in Cal, as a hermaphrodite, being unable to give birth to children of his own.