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From Gloves to Fingers: The Ghoul and Lucy MacLean
Despite their mostly practical usage nowadays, gloves used to be a powerful tool in society. There were rules about how and when a person should wear them, and what messages they relayed to others. Gloves were more than a fashion accessory; they had symbolic functions. Across various sources, such as visual media, art, and literature, gloves are associated with notions about power, protection, purity, as well as sexuality.
In the following analysis, I will examine the Ghoulās gloves in Fallout (2024) as a visual key to understanding his character, motivations, and relationship with Lucy.Ā
What if I told you that the first thing we see about the Ghoul, his introduction to us, is his gloved hand?
His character is shrouded in mystery, and his gloves facilitate this impression. When a character hides their hands, we assume they have secret or evil intentions. Thatās why gloves have come to be associated with villains. And at first glance at this character, this assumption would not be far from the truth. But in the Ghoulās case, itās more complicated than that. Letās roll back to the beginning!
As soon as we learn that the Ghoul used to be the famous Hollywood actor Cooper Howard, and the face of Vault-Tec, we start to make the connections. For instance, we know he refuses to do the thumbs-up for the photo during the birthday party. The thumbs-up, his thumbs-up in particular, is a symbol for Vault-Tec, a company he has grown to despise. So it isnāt surprising that he would try to conceal his relation to the company, figuratively and physically.
Two hundred years later, we learn about the nature of ghouls. Radiation has ravaged their skin and appearance. In this case, the gloves might serve the cosmetic purpose of hiding most of his scarred body.Ā
However, it all comes down to the image he presents to the world around him. His gloves, and his hat, are accessories for the costume heās chosen to wear. He doesnāt go around by the name of Cooper Howard anymore; he has built himself a new identity, using props just like an actor would. He is recognizable by these attributes and they are a makeshift armor for the real man underneath it. Iād even argue that his gloves act as a physical and psychological shield between him and the atrocities heād committed to survive.
Now that weāve discussed the symbolism of him wearing gloves, itās time to ask the important question. Do we see the Ghoulās ungloved hands? We do. Two times. And both of them are connected to Lucy: one in her presence, one in the presence of her finger.
The first time we see the Ghoulās ungloved hands is after the significant scene of him mercy killing Roger and feeding on him in front of Lucy. The fact that Lucy witnessed him eat, not just any food but human flesh, is extremely important. In that scene, he reveals his animalistic nature. Itās an intimate scene because he begins her initiation into the Wasteland by offering her his knife to cut off some pieces herself. In a way, he shares his meal with her. Her repulsion is clear but she relents. Itās important to keep this scene in mind.
Cut to the scene with him with no gloves. At this point, heās shown her a part of himself. In the past, the removal of gloves was a sign of closeness, and even inferiority. He has shed his skin, literally in the form of his gloves. He has allowed himself to be vulnerable in her presence. Heās naked in a way we havenāt seen before. Itās no wonder what happens next has so many sexual undertones.
To put it plainly, in this scene we see the Ghoul relishing the taste of irradiated water while Lucy is right next to him⦠thirsty. Itās an interesting juxtaposition to aĀ previous scene when Lucy politely asked for water but he denied her (with his gloves on, retaining a metaphorical barrier, an air of superiority). She then saw the pool of water but resisted drinking from it while he taunted her. Now, it seems different. He watches her with a silent challenge in his eyes, tempting. She isnāt asking him anything this time. All she sees is the water, the means to quench her thirst, and⦠his ungloved hand.
Personally, I find the choice to include his hand here very interesting. What happens next, even more so; Lucy succumbs to her thirst. In contrast to her hesitation and revulsion with slicing pieces off Roger for food, she eagerly drinks the irradiated water the Ghoul drank moments ago. Itās a desperate physical need, and itās out of her own volition. If you donāt see anything sexual about this frame, I donāt know what to tell you:
Itās worth mentioning the way the Ghoul stoops to her level here which enables the iconic āOh, Iām you, sweetie.ā Sheās almost his equal here, as they stare after sheās drunk the water, their hands ungloved.
Lucy, being ever the opportunist, sees his weakness and tries to run away. Her attempt is short-lived because he catches her in his lasso. And all the build-up ends in one of the most memorable scenes in the show; and for a good reason!
In their struggle, Lucy takes advantage of his exposed hand, his weakness, and bites his finger off. Itās almost like sheās turned into him: an animal tearing flesh. The gloves would have protected him against harm but heās taken them off, he has allowed himself to be vulnerable around her. Perhaps, he underestimated her.
In a violent imitation of a lover's touch, he cuts her finger off. This is the first time they touch hands. In the past, a woman had to be wary of a manās ungloved hand because it signified danger and the loss of her chastity.
In Lucy's case, chastity refers to her naivety about navigating the world around her. The Ghoul opened her eyes about the surrounding world, but she dared to go one step further and stole something of his, a part of him. For two centuries, he's managed to keep his ten fingers intact, a sign of his competence, and it's none other than Lucy who overpowers him this way. So he feels obliged to take a part of her to replace his missing one. It's very much an exchange of rings/vows type of situation. But I digress.Ā
After the finger exchange and the visual replacement of Lucy's finger, which for a second looked to me like adding a band/ring, we see the most significant scene for her character yet. She survives alone in the Super Duper Mart and despite it all, retains her principles, by saving his life. She emerges the victor, both in terms of survival and morals. But how does the exchange affect him?Ā
In a rare scene of self-reflection, the Ghoul watches his old human self on film. The gloves are back on and he mimics pulling the trigger, nothing unusual.
But as we watch him rub the leather of his missing finger, we know that something has shifted. Beneath the seemingly intact glove, there is a missing piece. Try as he might to conceal it, and even if it's unnoticeable to others, heās aware of its absence. Despite the external armor, the damage is internal.
Which brings us to the second scene with his ungloved hands: the scene of him sewing Lucyās finger on his hand.
The Ghoul is held responsible for the thrashing of the Super Duper Mart. While they question him, he asks for the needle and thread (red thread of fate, anybody?) in his bag. As he unrolls the piece of cloth, we see Lucyās finger.
Here I want to make an important note: In the past, gloves were considered an extension of the wearerās body; another symbolic body part. In the classic novel Little Women, Meg loses one of her gloves and it turns out that the man who is interested in her romantically ā Mr. Brooke ā has hidden it in his pocket. Later, characters would consider this act a declaration of his intentions toward her. The Ghoul has neatly packed away Lucyās finger in his bag. The subtext is definitely there.Ā
In the first scene when he was ungloved, it was in Lucyās active presence. In this scene, sheās not here but her presence is felt, and not only because itās her finger heās sewing. While he is attaching the finger, he takes the blame for what she did in the Super Duper Mart. He throws away the act for a moment, his hands are ungloved and unprotected, as he surrenders himself in her name. The intimacy of the mere image of him sewing a part of Lucyās body on his own, literally tying the knot, deserves its own analysis.Ā Ā
You could say it fits him like a glove. ;)
This is the last scene we see him without gloves in S1. But every time we see his gloved hand afterward, we are reminded that he carries Lucyās finger. Itās a symbol of what Lucy reminded him of: his lost dignity. Itās his trigger finger, a moral compass. It led to him shooting her dad when she herself wavered, but also letting him go alive. And itās her replaced necrotic finger which pulls the trigger when she mercy kills her mother, a lesson she learned from him. Their fates have intertwined and their fingers are the perfect representation of that.Ā
With the focus on hands and fingers we saw in S1, I expect this symbolic storytelling to continue and expand in S2.
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we really devolved as a society when we stopped using fully painted pictures on romance novels and started using cheap photoshop insteadĀ
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āgender envyā this āgender envyā that,,, sir that man is a senior citizen
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get to know me memeĀ āĀ 2/5 favourite moviesĀ Ā» A Little Princess (1995)
Ā āI am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they arenāt pretty, or smart, or young. Theyāre still princesses. All of us. Didnāt your father ever tell you that? Didnāt he?ā
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When I have to study:


On the outsideĀ : On the insideĀ :
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YOOO I KNOW IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS THIS SHIT. I JUST FORGOT THE NAME OF THE SHOW AND WHERE ITS FROM
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HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, GOT7. Thank you for a year filled with laughter, tears, love, & memories. Thank you for being amazing. We love you soooooooo much, Got7! ā„
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Can we talk about this:

Iām sorry sir. This is not okay. Yugyeom, you are ruining my bias list right now.
That smirk thoughā¦
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