In Get Out (2017), Jordan Peele explores the concept of double consciousness as coined by W.E.B. Du Bois, which refers to the internal conflict Black individuals experience while navigating their own identity and the way they are perceived by a predominantly white society. Get Out follows a young black man, Chris, going upstate to meet the upper-class white family of his girlfriend, Rose. Initially, Chris is embraced like a member of the family, but when the hosts’ overly welcoming behavior begins to raise suspicions, Chris finds himself at the center of a chilling conspiracy. Rather than relying solely on the traditional horror genre, Peele masterfully intertwines racial commentary into the fabric of the film, using Chris’ experiences to reflect the complexities of being a Black person in a predominantly white space. The discomfort Chris feels upon meeting his white girlfriend Rose’s family is not just rooted in interpersonal dynamics, but also in the ever-present reality of racial objectification and surveillance, which echoes Du Bois’ theory of double consciousness.
One of the most powerful metaphors in Get Out is the “Sunken Place”. When black characters are “sent” to the “Sunken Place”, they are conscious of their surroundings but are powerless to act or change anything. The “Sunken Place” represents the ultimate loss of autonomy, where black characters are conscious of their surroundings but unable to act or express themselves freely, much like the condition of double consciousness itself. This space symbolizes the forces, both internal and external, that prevent Black individuals from claiming full agency over their identities. A real life example of these limitations is code-switching, which occurs when Black individuals adjust their style of speech, appearance, or behavior in ways that will optimize the comfort of others, typically white individuals. This behavior exemplifies double consciousness as the black individuals must sacrifice authentic self-expression for survival ro acceptance into society. In essence, Peele uses the Sunken Place as a powerful metaphor for the disempowerment and internal conflict expressed in double consciousness.
Peele continues to explore the physicality of double consciousness in one particular scene in Get Out. In the scene, Georgina, the maid for Rose’s family and a victim of brain-replacement, sheds a tear while maintaining a forced smile during a conversation with Chris. This moment symbolizes the internal conflict at the heart of double consciousness—the split between what is outwardly shown and what is felt inside. Georgina, like Chris, is aware of her oppression, but is trapped in a system where she is unable to express her true self. The tear signifies the pain of this fractured identity, a visual metaphor for the emotional toll of having to perform under the white gaze, as Du Bois described.
When speaking of double consciousness, Du Bois says: “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body…” Du Bois wishes to exist as a Negro in American society as his true self and without conflict. Similarly, Chris and the other black characters in Get Out, wish to exist as themselves in their true and natural forms. However, they must face the conflict and battle of existing in a white-domainated space that is determined to oppress them.
Ultimately, Get Out critiques how racism forces Black individuals into a state of divided identity. Chris’ eventual escape from the Sunken Place at the end of the film represents his reclaiming of autonomy and his rejection of the control that white society has over his identity. Peele’s film not only works to portray the psychological struggle of double consciousness but also offers a path for black individuals toward self-liberation and empowerment.
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