Essay Questions

Which theme is the predominant in most of the stories in Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado?

Same-sex orientation is the main theme that cuts across most stories in Her Body and Other Parties because most characters are attracted to the people of similar sexual orientation. For instance, in the stories 'The Resident, Mothers, and Inventory,' the feminine raconteur is married to a woman. Similarly, the storyteller in the Inventor story articulates sexual happenstances with both genders. There is also a female narrator who has a baby with a fellow woman.

Why are most of the narrators in the collection of stories not in control over their decisions?

Carmen Maria Machado depicts men as disrespectful to most of the female narrators in the stories. The author demonstrates this assertion in the story ‘The Husband Stitch’ where the husband requests the female narrator to take away her ribbon and she does without her will. Similarly, the narrator in the story ‘Difficult at Parties’ goes against her will to remain at home. Additionally, the narrator in the ‘Mothers’ is given a toddler without her choice.

What motivates the narrator in the 'Eight Bites' to undergo surgery?

The narrator is not happy with the size of her stomach because she feels that it makes her look ugly. Her sisters encourage her to undergo surgery to be slim and beautiful. However, after the surgery, the narrator still sees the ghost of her old body in the house. Therefore, the urge to be beautiful is the primary motivator why the narrator undergoes a surgery.