So many dead, so many blacked bodies lay among the burning rubble that it caused trained firefighters to vomit and quit their jobs on the spot. Such was the scene of the once great Binewski Family Carnival Fabulon, at the climax of Geek Love, a novel by Katherine Dunn. Al and Lil Binewski taught their children, which they used for their traveling freak show that the thoughts and opinions of women mattered very little. The Binewski family went out in a blaze of glory, but their tragic end could have been avoided had the men and women within the family been treated equally. The oppression of women throughout Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn leads to the destruction of the Binewski family, their beloved Fabulon, and countless other lives.

As the …show more content…
They looked to them to know what to do, how to act, and how to treat people. Arty is a direct result of his parents and their lack of concern for people, in particular “norms” and women. Arty, being the oldest child, spent many years listening to his father’s sexist attitudes, and watching his mother in her role as the subservient housewife. Arty learns from his father what it means to be in charge and make the decisions for the family, without the input of others. Early on Arty tells his siblings that Al was responsible for one of their sibling’s death, a child who was dis-formed, but seemed as though she would add little to a show or ticket sales. Shortly after Oly tells us of her suspicions that Arty has taken it upon himself to end the life of their sister, Leona the lizard girl, for the fear that she may become the lead act in the family. It was the training from their father that caused the Binewski girls, and Chick, the youngest, treated as a norm because of his looks to follow Arty almost entirely without question. Oly, being raised by parents that did not instill the necessary confidence in her as a young girl, was destined to fall victim to Arty’s charms. His power over her was so strong that she was unable to stand up to him even after his acts became more and more malicious. As Arty begins his cult we see him prey more and more on …show more content…
These sexist, and often misogynist views were passed down and reeked havoc on the family, and the lives of countless others. Al and Lil are responsible for Arty’s false sense of entitlement, and therefore every life destroyed or taken by his greed and aspirations for ultimate power. The twins were imprisoned under the watchful eyes of the all powerful Arty, and took their escape the only way they felt possible, by talking their own lives. Seeing this destruction, and having been unable to stop it caused Chick to take the lives of thousands in his attempt to rid the world of Arty’s evilness. Had Oly been given a stronger foundation growing up, and a sense of self worth from her parents she may have been strong enough to stop the destruction set forth by Arty, but instead she spent her life in the servitude of others and with a false sense of right and