Visibility

The theme of visibility in the novel is explored through who is seen, how they are seen, and who has the power to shape those acts of seeing. Characters are made visible or invisible not only by social structures like race and gender but also by the fantasies and projections of others. Bud’s obsessive search for the Unicorn Woman, often narrated through dreamlike images, elusive glimpses, or secondhand reports, becomes a case study in how desire shapes perception. He does not so much see her as imagine her, and her elusiveness becomes a projection of his own longing and dissatisfaction. The question the novel repeatedly poses is not simply where she is, but whether he is capable of seeing her clearly at all.

This dynamic is mirrored in more everyday interactions. Bud’s conversation with Doc Leeds illustrates the tension between visibility and self-determination. Doc...