ipl-logo

The Entersexuality In Aimee Bender's Short Story 'Off'

500 Words2 Pages

In Aimee Bender’s short story “Off,” the questioning of one’s sexuality is investigated. Through the eyes of the narrator, the readers are bombarded with confusing acts regarding the narrator's sexuality. For instance, the story begins with the narrator asserting that she has made it her goal “to kiss three men,” but the reason behind this goal is not further explained (Bender 107). It’s possible that the narrator desires to kiss three men not because she wants to convince others that she is heterosexual but because she wants to convince herself that she is. The narrator speaks quite frequently of the party’s host and the brief mention of their relationship since high school and their “flirting” gives the impression that it is likely that they are more than friends. …show more content…

Here, the narrator is showing signs of longing for an authority figure to not only acknowledge her true sexuality but praise her for it. She then points out how her teacher would mistake certain things in her paintings for something harmless when the literal thing was harmful, and this alludes to the way that an authority figure could ignore one of the narrator’s attempts in subtly revealing her sexuality to them and instead regard it as an act of heterosexuality because it’s easier for them to swallow that

Show More
Related
752 Words | 4 Pages

Regardless of her sexual preference, the thought of a woman thinking that way about another female was seen as taboo in the

Read More
1303 Words | 6 Pages

People are able to interpret things differently and don’t have to simply follow the dominant meaning of something. She states, “how at every moment, the world presents us with a composition in which a multitude of meanings and realities are available, and you are able to swim, lucid and self-contained, in that turbulent sea of multiplicity” (311). When presented with something, someone is able to create multiple meanings and definitions by what they choose. This relates to Susan Faludi’s essay “The Naked Citadel” where the Cadets go to the Treehouse due to their gender confusion. At the Treehouse, the Cadets have sexual relationships with the Drag Queens there which creates a stereotype that they are actually feminine and not a “Whole Man”.

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

In the story drinking coffee elsewhere the author ZZ Packner allows the reader to believe that the main character is trying to understand her sexual and racial identity but in reality the story is not about race or sexual preference, passably as metaphors for the actual problem of conceiving an authentic self. The author allows the reader to believe that Dina is exploring her sexuality as a way to transition into fitting into a group but in actuality it is a coping mechanism. Dina uses this strategy of pretending to deflect her real issue with finding her identity and where she belongs in this world. Dina is not at all gay but by the author labeling her as that she is able to metaphorical show that Dina being gay allows her to focus on being apart of something she knows so well.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

She employs many literary devices that support her specific claim in this passage as well as she provides many clear examples of how stereotypes have shaped young girls’ lives throughout the book. Through these examples she succeeds to use them as evidence so the audience does not conform to

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

It is a perfect example of how sexual deviance, which went against society at this time, can lead to oppression of a certain persons. For as far back as people can remember, certain persons with deviant traits have been labeled, and more often than not the label has an apparent negative connotation. The speech written by Ronald Gold further sells the idea that a person with more power (authority) than the particular minority, has the ability to “make” that minority anything they wish; I.e, sick, wrong,

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” is an enthralling memoir about a young girl’s peculiar childhood, which involved her family’s funeral business, infatuating trips, family turmoil, solitude, and her befuddling relationship with her masterful artificer of a father; in which similarities ranged from obsessive compulsive disorders and literature to sexuality. The most profound being homosexuality. Bechdel utilized duo-specific, speech bubbles, as well as, subject-to-subject paneling to illustrate the complex father-daughter relationship where Alison and Bruce Bechdel perpetually attempted to compensate for each other’s eccentric gender behaviors. Initially, both Bechdals yearned for different genders, imposing expected behaviors upon the other.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

The protagonist sees sexuality as an expression of emotion, desire, beauty and affection. In complete contrast, many of the characters in the book view sexuality as something negative and to be ashamed of. They view it as dangerous, reckless, or as acts of dominance or violence. We see Janie trying to fight these perceptions throughout the book.

Read More
1130 Words | 5 Pages

The woman had only recently made the decision to stay with that gender completely. As the friend shared pictures of herself with Wilchins, Wilchins noticed how keenly her friend was analyzing her reactions with each different picture. This seemed to shock Wilchins as she herself is quoted saying “Which is to say that I do not, at first blush, inspire confidence as the best possible judge of such matters. I could not care less how either of us is read by nontranssexuals” (Wilchins). I believe this to be a powerful statement as she states although she does not care about how she is read, the effects of social inspection are often great.

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

The short story has expressed the theme through a character’s first exprience of sexuality. “I never knew this would be so embarrassing! I can’t watch them anymore so I turn around to Brad who still is”(page 4). Deidre feels very embarrassed by watching her dad having conversation with Rita.

Read More
1068 Words | 5 Pages

On Page 118, in the diner with her father, Bechdel sees a woman “who [is wearing] men’s clothes and [has a] men’s haircut” (118). On her journey of sexual exploration, this frame serves as something “from home” as Bechdel “recognize[s] [the woman] with a surge of joy” (118). Apart from the narrative boxes that communicate her watershed moment in text form, the immense detail provides a greater sense of authenticity to her story. With you Bechdel and her father sitting in a booth at the far side of a simple diner, Bechdel focuses on the masculine woman on the left side of the frame with her manly plaid button-down shirt and big, black belt. As Bechdel reveals to her father later on Page 221, she “want[s] to be a boy” during her childhood as she “dress[es] in boys’ clothes,” and her moment at the diner helps her explore her sexual identity

Read More
1461 Words | 6 Pages

“It’s difficult to remember that she’s not attracted to him.” But why does she have to remind herself that she is not attracted? Why not just say what she means? At first glimpse, Curtis Sittenfeld’s Gender Studies short story seems to portray a sexual encounter between nearly forty year old Women and Gender Studies professor, Nell and a twenty-seven year old shuttle driver, Luke. The story gives the impression of a naughty one-night stand.

Read More
2645 Words | 11 Pages

In this her sexuality is represented through her ‘cherry lips’ with red being the colour associated with sexual attraction and linked to eroticism, a concept which was infamous in early 1930s Berlin. However, it can also be construed that Isherwood is presenting Sally as overly theatrical in order to disguise her own insecurities, which she hides under a thick layer of makeup. The description of her hands in particular evokes a sense of grotesque sexuality ‘the green finger-nails seemed to not belong to them at all; to have settled on them by chance – like hard, bright, ugly little beetles ’ her finger nails represent her as a liberal woman but they can be viewed as tacky and a sign of her own exploitation because they too are so theatrical. It is interesting to consider Sally Bowles as a mirror of Berlin itself, both are going through a period of

Read More
513 Words | 3 Pages

Chopin empowers female sexuality by showing an woman who expresses sexual desire and lacks guilt and a legitimate excuse for the society, like men have been

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Rose imagines her French teacher touching her in a sexual way. “She has a considerable longing to be somebody’s object” (Munro 153). It is no wonder why she imagines the old man’s hand on her. Her imagination of being touched has happened more than once. She is so eager to have a man in her life she imagines to have pleasure with any man including the old man.

Read More
554 Words | 3 Pages

She calls her daughter a “slut” and wants her to see she is not a boy. She tells her, “on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don’t sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys...” (180). She must keep her reputation up. She thinks her daughter already knows too much about sexuality and that she is being disobedient by singing the benna in Sunday school.

Read More

More about The Entersexuality In Aimee Bender's Short Story 'Off'

Related Topics

Open Document