comment on theme

Throughout the novel, the author uses Medusa’s and Perseus’s character in order to interrogate the definitions of monstrousness. The author introduces this thematic consideration in the opening chapter of Part One, “Sister,” “Gorgoneion.” The Gorgoneion indeed opens the chapter saying: “I see all those who men call monsters. And I see the men who call them that. Call themselves heroes, of course . . . But it’s enough. Enough to know that the hero isn’t the one who’s kind or brave or loyal. Sometimes—not always, but sometimes—he is monstrous” (3). Over the course of the lines that follow, the Gorgoneion specifically goes on to question the definition of “the monster” and thus what might make one a monster (3). This chapter acts as a pseudo-preface to the narrative. Indeed, within the chapters that follow, Medusa’s character is classified as a monster, while Perseus is classified as the hero. Punished for being raped by Poseidon in Athene’s temple, Medusa sprouts snakes from her head, loses her sight, and gains a power that turns her into an implement for violence. Meanwhile, Perseus is journeying across oceans and islands in pursuit of the monster he must kill to save his mother’s life. In doing so, he murders countless individuals, particularly using Medusa’s decapitated head.