A book called Middlesex just has to deal with issues of gender. It's not Essex or Wessex or Sussex: it's freaking Middlesex. Born intersex with primarily male features but raised female, Cal is right smack in between two genders, and he has to learn to rationalize them both. Through a lot of introspection (and a stop-over at an underwater sex carnival in San Francisco) Cal ends up becoming the best of both worlds.
Questions About Gender
- How are Cal's genes at odds with his gender conditioning?
- In what way do Cal's parents and grandparents adhere to gender stereotypes? Do they ever defy them?
- Does Calliope adhere to gender stereotypes? In other words, does she act like girls are supposed to act?
- Why does adult Cal try to hide the female aspect of his childhood? How does he end up incorporating Calliope into his adult identity?