The Sexualized Body as Object and Agent in “Bottoms” Sophia Dalal College

In “Bottoms” by Dagoberto Gilb, the protagonist, who is also the narrator wishes he were the kind of person who would act on “raw desire”. In other words, he wishes for the kind of dominance he identifies with being a top. In order to connect with this masculinity he distances himself, both mentally and physically, from men he perceives to be “top or bottom oriented” and gravitates instead towards a woman at his local pool. This woman is never named, nor do we learn more about her than that she “lives near by” and that she has a husband who is even larger than she is. Instead of providing information about this woman’s past or personality, the narrator fixates on her body, specifically the sexual parts of it. However, the body he initially appears to objectify for the purpose of proving his masculinity takes on power and size of it’s own, ultimately becoming synonymous with the sexual dominance the narrator wishes for himself. Through this reversal of traditional gender and power roles the large woman becomes the symbol of the “top” and the narrator is forced reckon with is own relationship to sex in contrast to her.

The story opens with the narrator coping with a recent breakup and reflecting on what he believes his romantic...