Violence as Performative Autonomy in Systems of Control
Violence becomes a performative act of asserting autonomy in a world where autonomy is otherwise denied. Duggan’s instinctive reactions—striking Kerensky, smashing through walls, and threatening the Countess—are not merely reactive but compensatory, a desperate bid to reclaim agency in spatial and temporal confinement. Hermann’s transition from detached compliance to executing violence marks his surrender to Scarlioni’s control, while Duggan’s escalation into primal fury represents a rejection of that compliance. Violence, here, is both a symptom of systemic oppression and a desperate performance of self-determination. The theme deepens the critique of performative cruelty by showing how victims internalize violence as empowerment, unwittingly replicating the oppressor’s logic.
Events Exemplifying This Theme
The Doctor, Romana, and Duggan are marched into the Count and Countess Scarlioni’s drawing room at gunpoint after their theft of the bracelet is exposed. Despite the Doctor’s attempts to …
Duggan’s frustration with the Doctor’s cautious methods escalates into brute force when the sonic screwdriver fails to open the locked door. In a moment of reckless action, he strikes the …
Duggan terminates the Doctor’s interrogation of Count Scarlioni by hurling a lamp at Scarlioni’s head and striking him unconscious. The abrupt assault disrupts the Doctor’s methodical exchange with the Count, …
Duggan’s impatient violence shatters a Ming vase over the Countess’s head the instant he spots a gun barrel, transforming challenge into chaos and blowing their cover in the count’s residence. …