Middlesex

Annabel Lee

Horror

A woman would feel disgusted if she discovered she possessed both male and female organs. In Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel, Middlesex, he illustrates the protagonist’s discovery about her physical condition as horrific and terrifying. Callie realizes that her hermaphroditic condition is beyond belief and worries about society’s perception of her. He uses literary techniques such as imagery, personification, and tone to convey her terror. By utilizing the devices to convey the internal shock and horror of Callie’s situation, the author reveals society’s inability to accept anything that is not normal.

Eugenides uses imagery to depict the protagonist’s tenseness and her fear of society’s discrimination. When the excerpt states, “the vast room thrummed … people thinking, writing,” it shows the silent tension in the room. The quiet atmosphere gives the reader a sense that Callie feels intensely stressed. She feels as if the people surrounding her were judging her and scrutinizing her condition. Therefore, this image gives an intense feeling of isolation. Also, the image of the dictionary with “pencil scrawls and ink stains, dried blood, snack crumbs,” emits a sense of her horror. She in fact states that the dictionary contained the collective knowledge of society. So, when she discovers that society views her as a monster, the physical discovery clearly disturbs her, and this image helps to aid in passing along her terror to the readers. These images help to highlight the protagonist’s shock with her physical condition.

Furthermore, Eugenides illustrates Callie’s horror and fear of judgment by employing personification. “Fear was stabbing me,” suggests the most frightening, horrific, and jeopardizing moment of her life. The terrifying way Eugenides gives fear human-like qualities, buttresses how much fear, panic, and horror Callie holds within her abnormal, unwanted trait and physical condition. For fear to literally stab her tells of the worry...