Visual Hegemony and Resistance: Race, Gender, and Gaze in Jasmine Ward’s Let Us Descend

By applying the theory of “gaze” and combining feminism and racism, this article delves into how black women in Let Us Descend deconstruct and reshape their subject identities amidst complex power relationships, racial discrimination, and gender inequality. In a white dominated social structure, Annis underwent a transformation from a passive object to an active subject, which was achieved through her anti-gaze strategy, which helped her resist both internal and external oppressive forces psychologically and physically. In addition, the article also examines how Ward uses literary narratives to guide readers to deeply reflect on racial issues in American history, thereby inspiring sympathy and support for oppressed black communities, further reflecting the author’s profound vision of exploring social reality with humanistic care.