Without a doubt, what struck me the most about The Hungry Woman was the depiction of sexual orientation and just how much it resembles the way it is not only viewed today but even treated. While there is no “Banished Lands” where open homosexuals are sent, there is definitely the feeling of being an outsider. Of being kept on the outside so as to keep status quo constant. It does not matter what you may have done that would benefit society, just by loving the same gender you are ostracized. But let’s add the Gothic aspect to this by introducing the idea of multiple perspectives to add onto the feeling of an outsider. Not only is Medea banished from her home, but she is also forced to see her life change. Having been married to a man and served in the war, she knows what it means to live the life of the privileged; to have others look at you without questioning you and who you are. However, by sacrificing the life of norm and privilege for love, she gives herself over to the judgmental looks. To being forced away from her home. Similarly, when someone comes “out” they are putting their homes and sense of belonging at risk. Depending on how those closest to them react, they become outsiders. They begin to see the world through this new lens that only few that get to see. It is the noticing of a difference that sets one apart from the rest—a difference that was originally denied in order to keep this sense of normalcy, which in itself is a very Gothic trait.

This acknowledgement of a new perspective, also serves as another possibility for refusing to let Chac-Mool go to Jason. By letting him go back to this world that is perceived as perfect but only by maintaining very structured social norms, she surrenders herself and her decision by acknowledging that her son would grow more from a “normal” life. Just like how same-sex couples are at times denied adoption for the sake of having children grow in a “normal” environment. These attempts to keep order resemble the Gothic trait of separating reality from fantasy. Reality stays intact by keeping the status quo–this normalcy that has become so prevalent. whereas fantasy would be living in a world of acceptance.