Throughout the novel, Geryon repeatedly retreats into his own mind to escape mental over stimulation or abuse. When his brother asks him what his favorite weapon is, Geryon replies with “Cage.” His brother retorts that a cafe “isn’t a weapon…Has to destroy the enemy” (Carson, 33). Autobiography of Red explores the notion of entrapment as a weapon, through the use of words such as “tanks” or cages. The repetition of these words are indicative of Geryon’s own feeling of being enclosed in a small space. Because he suffered through his brother’s sexual abuse, Geryon feels entrapped and therefore retreats to his own mind; he has to keep this a secret from everyone. He is unable to talk of what happened and therefore relies on other means to explain his feelings.
Geryon, therefore, created his own cage for himself; because he cannot explain his own emotions, even to his own mother, he relies on photography to express himself. He cages himself and is therefore unable to fully articulate his own feelings. Because of this cage, he is unable to express if a situation makes him feel uncomfortable, such as when Ancash forces Geryon to take his overcoat off, thus exposing his wings. Ancash touches Geryon’s wings without him asking if it is alright, and thus Geryon “wonders if he is going to faint” (128). No where in the passage does Geryon say it is ok for Ancash to violate his personal space and the moment is not brought up again. Geryon therefore is unable to articulate how moments such as that make him feel uncomfortable, because of the self-imposed mental cage.