ASSIGNMENT ONE - *******

HERACTSEMSYMREFLINK

I am * Immediately one asks, “Who is she?” Attempting to discover who the narrator “is” drives the reader through the text. (HER. Unknown identity) ** The verb “to be” could refer to either a person's identity/characteristics (“I am an American”), a person's current status (“I am eating”), or simply inform another of one's existence. The intended meaning is not immediately clear (ACT. “to be”: multiple interpretations)

I am tall, and broad-shouldered enough that many take me for a man; * The narrator is associating his/herself with characteristics our culture stereotypically associates with masculinity and assumes the reader recognizes them as such. It is unclear whether s/he uses the stereotypes for ironic effect or if s/he honestly subscribes to them. (REF: gender expectations [American/Western]) ** Although the phrase “take me for a man” has a surface meaning of simply “recognizing me as a man”, it has undertones of possession. “Taking” anything usually involves possessing it. (ACT. “to take for”: to recognize AND/OR to possess)

others think me a transsexual (another feat of cut and stitch) * “Cut and stitch” invokes images of patchwork and quilting that run throughout the entire work. It also carries connotations of manufacturedness. (SEM. Artificiality)

and examine my jaw and hands for outsized bones, my throat for the tell-tell Adam's Apple. * Examining a person is a very personal experience we usually allow only trained experts to do to us. (ACT. “To examine”: to probe) ** Why should some random “others” be allowed to “examine” the narrator? Is s/he nothing more than an object? (SYM. Antithesis – human/object)

My black hair falls down my back but does not make me girlish. * Similar formula here to “I am tall, and broad-shouldered...”. (REF: gender expectations [American/Western]) ** “make me” here implies involuntary imposition of a label (ACT. “to make [a person]”: to force [a person] to fit the category of)

Women and men alike mistake my gender and both are drawn to me. * It is implied, then, that even though the narrator's appearance is unusual, it is physically appealing. Of course, we are forced to take the narrator's word for this...perhaps s/he only wishes they were desired. Is s/he proud of this appeal? (SEM. Attractiveness)

The motley effect of patched skin has lessened with age and uniform light conditions, though I am still subtly pied. * This sentence reveals that narrator spends most of his/her time inside. (SEM. Confined) ** This leads the reader to ask, “Where was this uniformly lit place?” Which in turn leads to, “In fact, where has s/he been all her existence? What is her story?” (HER. Unknown backstory)

Naked, I am more visibly so. * Nakedness. It immediately draws the reader's attention. Questions of the sexual experiences of the narrator arise. Biologically, does the narrator have all the “parts” a normal male or female does? (REF. Cultural code - nudity [American/Western])

I have large eyes, thought they are proportional to my other features (all my features are large, but do not appear so in this setting). My pupils are pale grey, black-ringed. * This passage appears out of place, random. Why the detailed description of eyes? Is there some special significance of the largeness, greyness, or black-ringedness of the eyes? (HER. Enigma – significance of eyes)

I move swiftly, with long loose strides; I was never comfortable in the drawing rooms or the pruned and cherished gardens of Mary's time and territory. * The narrator is again associated with masculine properties. The stereotype of the self-confident male walks assuredly with large strides. (REF. Cultural code – masculinity) ** Here the narrator take his/her first true “action” in the whole text! We finally have physical motion. Up to now, the primary verb has been the unexciting “is”. (ACT. “to move”: to change locations) *** Both the name Mary and the “pruned and cherished gardens” that the narrator finds uncomfortable are symbols associated with women. (SEM. Femininity)

I am happier where I have room to take long strides and I am enough alone that I can strip and walk unencumbered * The narrator's emotions are brought up for the first time here. Until now, s/he has talked about itself objectively. (ACT. “to be”: to have an emotional status) ** A common theme that appears in this passage and elsewhere is the narrator's unclear gender. Here, s/he shows her/his preference for the stereotypically male characteristics (SYM. Antithesis – male/female)

I was made as strong as my unfortunate and famous brother, but less neurotic! * The author's artificiality is brought up again. S/he was manufactured to certain specifications. (SEM. Artificiality) ** Who was this brother? What happened to him? (HER. Unknown backstory) *** The use of an exclamation point here is extremely inconsistent with the mood of the rest of the text. It denotes an excitement that the narrator does not express anywhere else. (REF. Grammar codes)

Born full-grown, I have lived in this frame for 175 years. By another reckoning, I have lived many lives (Tituba's, Jane's, and the others') and am much older. * “Born”? Really? The verb implies a more natural beginning than the rest of the text would imply. It goes against the theme of artificiality. (ACT. “To be born”: to enter the world) ** The use of the word “frame”, however, brings us back immediately to the manufacturedness of the narrator. “Body” would be the more human word. “Frame” brings images of furniture and cars to mind. (SEM. Artificiality) *** The reference to Tituba and Jane is a reference to the “graveyard” section of the hypertext where the backstories of the previous owners of the narrator's organs are revealed. (REF. Previously revealed information)

The curious, the lustful, the suspicious, and the merely stupid watch me wherever I go * Watching is more than just seeing. It implies that the watcher is focusing on what it is seeing. (ACT. “To watch”: to actively see) ** The attractiveness of the narrator is brought up again. The types of people described bring to mind those people who obsessively track celebrities. (SEM. Fame)

and some follow me, scribbling notes and numerals, as if translation into a chart or overview will make all clear and safe as houses. * As the narrator defines his/herself, so do others. They try to understand the narrator by looking at him/her in conventional contexts. (SYM. Antithesis - Known/unknown) ** Translation is a tricky business. There is not always a clear one-to-one correspondence between source text and result. The original meaning can get adjusted/reassigned by the translator. (ACT. “To translate”: to interpret) *** Are our houses truly safe? It's a stereotype of suburban America, that we can retreat into our houses and all danger will stay on the other side of our door. (REF. Cultural code – American homeownership)

They may be sure that I will lead them for a chase. I am never settled. * Another one of the few places where the narrator is in motion. (ACT. “to lead”: to instigate) ** The theme of assigning definitions to the narrator comes up again. S/he refuses to stay in one place, physically, culturally, psychologically. (SYM. Antithesis – Fixed/temporary)

I belong nowhere. * By making this statement, and using the concept of “belonging”, the narrator implicitly accepts the judgment of others that she must be defined to be accepted. (ACT. “to belong”: to have a place)

This is not bizarre for my sex, however, nor is it uncomfortable for us, to whom belonging has generally meant, belonging TO. * “my sex”?? Throughout the rest of the text, the narrator has denied any association to any sex. Now she can refer to “my sex” and use the first person plural when referring to all those of the same sex? That sex is female, as women have traditionally been the ones who have “belonged TO” their males. (REF. Historical)