Last updated on December 25, 2023
In the film “Get Out,” Jordan Peele explores the theme of race in America’s racial society while also introducing a new kind of horror. The movie reveals the attitudes of the politically liberal toward Black individuals, shedding light on the modern misconception that racism is no longer prevalent.
In its portrayal of the Armitage family, who are white and liberal, the film emphasizes their uncomfortable fascination with Black culture. It exposes their twisted motives of desiring certain Black characteristics. This portrayal highlights how white individuals often objectify Blackness in lieu of genuinely appreciating and understanding their culture. Additionally, the movie underscores the challenges faced by people in navigating a racial landscape where white perspectives either idealize or demonize them influencing how Black identity is perceived. “Get Out” also connects elements commonly found in horror movies and real-life experiences to reinforce these ideas. Each interaction that Chris, the protagonist, has in the film creates discomfort and unease for both him and the audience, revealing individuals’ ignorance regarding understanding the experience.
From his arrival at the Armitage house, Chris senses the family’s fixation on his interracial relationship with their daughter, Rose. The exchanges between Chris and Rose’s parents are unnatural and forced. Rose’s father uses exaggerated slang phrases like “my man” in an attempt to connect with Chris, and he establishes his “liberalism” explicitly stating that he would have supported President Obama for a third term. However, these exaggerated efforts to appear accepting only alienate Black individuals. Throughout the story, Chris is reminded of his Blackness through repeated awkward conversations and micro-aggressions. For instance, Rose’s brother, Jeremy, suggests that Chris has the potential to become a “beast” due to his genetic makeup, perpetuating racial stereotypes. The Greens, another couple in the town, assume that Chris would be a fan of Tiger Woods because of his race. Later in the film, Chris’s body is fetishized by a woman named Lisa, who objectifies him because of his Blackness. Another couple suggests that being Black is fashionable and beneficial in the modern sphere, invalidating Chris’s struggle as a Black man. These examples showcase how micro-aggressions not only perpetuate racist assumptions but also contribute to the objectification of Black individuals. Ultimately, Chris’ experiences in the movie highlight how Black individuals are denied basic human normality when they are treated as objects of desire. These seemingly “awkward” events in the film symbolize a much darker reality that becomes fully evident as the story unfolds. “Get Out” serves as a poignant portrayal of the complex racial dynamics in modern society, urging viewers to reflect on and challenge their preconceived notions about race.
In the film, several symbols demonstrate the enduring impact of historical racial dynamics between Black and white individuals in the present day. Two significant scenes – the bingo game and Chris extracting cotton from his chair – allude to the era of slavery, reflecting the racial practices of that time. The bingo scene, serving as the movie’s climax, shocks the audience by revealing that it is an auction for Chris’ body. This crucially establishes the racist intentions of the Armitage family, who seek to assert control over the bodies of Black individuals. Jordan Peele ingeniously employs horror genre conventions in an unconventional way, shifting the terror from supernatural entities to white people and their racism. This approach is powerful because it serves a dual purpose: it introduces the source of fear our protagonist faces while reminding viewers that claims of non-racism by white liberals lack credibility, as their desire for specific Black attributes perpetuates systemic racism.
The dialogue between Chris and the artist, Jim Hudson, further exemplifies this unsettling concept. Hudson, who dismisses the importance of Chris’ skin color, deems Chris’ eyes as his sole concern, shocking the audience with his nonchalant acceptance of brain transplants as a normal procedure. Such a notion is horrifying due to its deranged nature and reinforces the horror of systemic racism. Despite Hudson’s insistence on not being racist, his participation in the same racist mind transplantation operation is a contradiction that challenges his credibility. Similarly, the scene of cotton picking symbolizes the horrifying racial practices of the past. It takes on an ironic twist as it becomes the very action that allows Chris to survive and escape. This irony lies in the heroic nature of the act, contrasting sharply with its historical counterpart that symbolizes oppression.
Additionally, Chris utilizes objects, such as the Bocce ball and the deer trophy, as weapons against white individuals. The symbolism of seemingly white objects represents both a symbolic resentment of Black individuals towards their white counterparts and the necessity to employ the tools that oppressed them in order to survive in modern-day society. This dual presentation of horror resonates with the audience, as it utilizes a familiar genre to portray a real-world problem that is equally horrifying in society. The film effectively unpacks the complex nature of race relations in America through this duality of horror, which is a recurring theme.
The concept of duality provides insight into the dynamics of race relations in a supposedly “post-racial,” liberal America, depicting it as a psychological labyrinth for Black individuals to navigate. Right from the movie’s start, the protagonist grapples with the conflict between his two identities: a Black man and Rose’s boyfriend, a white woman. He struggles to maintain his individuality while attempting to fit in with Rose’s white family.
A constant theme throughout the film is the realization that the protagonist’s fears reflect the real-life experiences faced by Black people. The metaphor of the sunken place effectively captures this sense of duality and double representation, highlighting the marginalization of Black individuals in America. The protagonist’s powerlessness in the sunken place symbolizes how Black voices are silenced in modern America, with white individuals, such as Rose’s mother, suppressing “undesirable” aspects of Black culture, effectively erasing them. The film draws a parallel between fiction and reality, revealing Black people as the victims in both contexts.
This idea of duality is further exemplified by the way white people possess “Blackness.” The white guests emerge from Black cars when they arrive at the party. This alludes to the movie’s main premise: a white person’s consciousness within a Black body. Grandma Armitage takes over Georgina’s body for its youth, while Grandpa Armitage occupies Walter’s body for its strength and mobility. The character of Logan also embodies this duality since he does not fully belong to either the Black or white community. He is seen as a misfit in white society and is also perceived as an outcast in the Black community, as depicted in his awkward interaction with Chris. These examples highlight the complex and often messy nature of race relations, where fascination and fear coexist, and assimilation is too oversimplified. The fears experienced by Black people in the film may not be as dramatic in real life, but they are undeniably based on very real concerns that continue to divide and plague society.
Get Out reveals how this newfound interest in Black culture, without acknowledgment of Black pain, often perpetuates systemic racism. White individuals may claim to understand Black experiences, but their ignorance hinders them from truly empathizing with and humanizing Black people. Instead of making Black individuals feel comfortable, white individuals further distance themselves by evaluating Black people based on superficial and desired characteristics, leading to insecurity about their traits. This is starkly evident in the movie as white individuals literally implant fear into the protagonist’s mind, highlighting the real and horrifying experience of suppressing Black identity through brain transplantation. In real life, this dynamic presents a complex navigation for Black people as they strive to assimilate and interact in a society where white individuals define the perception of Black identity. The result is a sense of double consciousness, where Black people hold onto their authentic Black identity while presenting a facade demanded by society. In Get Out, this psychological dilemma is manifested literally, with the survival of Chris representing one example of a Black person reclaiming their identity. Ultimately, this storytelling technique effectively conveys the sociological issue of racism within the familiar horror genre.
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