Eli's Androgony

[jcckidz]

I like to think of Eli's androgony in 3 tiers. The first is Eli's gender androgony. Eli neither feels like a boy nor a girl. The next is the outer anatomical androgony because of the castration. The third is the biological androgony. Eli was turned into a vampire and lost human biology (including chromosomes).

We know a vampire is biologically different from a human in that Eli could not digest the candy and lives on blood. I would like to believe that this biological change is not only relevent to the digestion, but also to chromosomes and everything else. Vampires cannot get diseases, and die from exposure to sunlight. They seem to lose their human biology entirely.

I would like to believe that JAL intended this to be the 3rd tier to making Eli a completely androgynous being. Eli says, "I'm not young, I'm not old, I'm not a boy, I'm not a girl, I'm nothing." I like believing that that quote is completely true (at least in terms of age, gender, and sex, because Eli certainly isn't "nothing" to us, Eli's a lovable gem and is everything to Oskar).

What I would like to know is if JAL intended that 3rd tier of becoming a vampire to mean exactly what I hope it does, making Eli biologically androgynous to complement the gender androgony and the outer physical androgony.

I would love it if JAL himself would comment as well, because nothing beats getting your question answered from the author himself!

[Ash]

Good post jcckids, and welcome to the board.
Although this has been discussed at length before, it's good to see Eli's condition described so succinctly, and I believe accurately.
The problem that would follow Oskar growing desire for sexual intimacy is dealt with in LTODD where he becomes (stays) pre-sexual with his turning.
There are so many highly sexualised teen vampire stories flying about, it's good to see JAL not get involved in that sillyness. And his story is actually far more complicated and challenging without that element than if it was included.
Welcome and enjoy your stay.

[metoo]

I like to think of Eli's androgony in 3 tiers. The first is Eli's gender androgony. Eli neither feels like a boy nor a girl. The next is the outer anatomical androgony because of the castration. The third is the biological androgony. Eli was turned into a vampire and lost human biology (including chromosomes).

We know a vampire is biologically different from a human in that Eli could not digest the candy and lives on blood. I would like to believe that this biological change is not only relevent to the digestion, but also to chromosomes and everything else. Vampires cannot get diseases, and die from exposure to sunlight. They seem to lose their human biology entirely.

I would like to believe that JAL intended this to be the 3rd tier to making Eli a completely androgynous being. Eli says, "I'm not young, I'm not old, I'm not a boy, I'm not a girl, I'm nothing." I like believing that that quote is completely true (at least in terms of age, gender, and sex, because Eli certainly isn't "nothing" to us, Eli's a lovable gem and is everything to Oskar).

What I would like to know is if JAL intended that 3rd tier of becoming a vampire to mean exactly what I hope it does, making Eli biologically androgynous to complement the gender androgony and the outer physical androgony.

I would love it if JAL himself would comment as well, because nothing beats getting your question answered from the author himself!

I think JAL's intention was to make the infection at least partly biological. The part about Virginia's transformation tells us about some specific biological changes that are made to her body. Thus, Eli still is mainly biological, but has some magical properties, too.

I don't think the infection plays any part in the androgyny. My interpretation is that it is caused by Eli's pre-adolescent age, and the rather radical castration. Others have suggested that Eli might conclude that what defines him as a boy has been taken away, and I think that's plausible. Eli's long existence also plays a role, he has learnt that gender is irrelevant to him, and has stopped bothering about it.

[a_contemplative_life]

'Androgynous' is generally defined as having the characteristics or nature of both male and female, something that is neither specifically feminine nor masculine, or having traditional male and female roles obscured or reversed. That Eli can no longer eat normal food, is impervious to cold, can fly, must drink human blood, etc. does not, to me, relate to the male/female dichotomy, but to Eli's humanity. They make her, in many respects, not human. Yet, having been human in the past, Eli is still able to think, feel, and behave like a human. So in this respect, Eli is both human and not human at the same time. This is not the same thing, however, as androgyny.

This earlier post by JAL about Eli's androgyny will interest you:

http://www.let-the-right-one-in.com/for ... 620#p28620

[crazychristina]

It can be said of me that I am not a man, not a woman, not old, not young. Indeed, this part of the story is completely unsurprising to me. Nothing. Been there, done that.

[God of Vampires]

I like to think of Eli's androgony in 3 tiers. The first is Eli's gender androgony. Eli neither feels like a boy nor a girl. The next is the outer anatomical androgony because of the castration. The third is the biological androgony. Eli was turned into a vampire and lost human biology (including chromosomes).

We know a vampire is biologically different from a human in that Eli could not digest the candy and lives on blood. I would like to believe that this biological change is not only relevent to the digestion, but also to chromosomes and everything else. Vampires cannot get diseases, and die from exposure to sunlight. They seem to lose their human biology entirely.

I would like to believe that JAL intended this to be the 3rd tier to making Eli a completely androgynous being. Eli says, "I'm not young, I'm not old, I'm not a boy, I'm not a girl, I'm nothing." I like believing that that quote is completely true (at least in terms of age, gender, and sex, because Eli certainly isn't "nothing" to us, Eli's a lovable gem and is everything to Oskar).

What I would like to know is if JAL intended that 3rd tier of becoming a vampire to mean exactly what I hope it does, making Eli biologically androgynous to complement the gender androgony and the outer physical androgony.

I would love it if JAL himself would comment as well, because nothing beats getting your question answered from the author himself!

Makes sense to me .

[intrige]

JAL once wrote, here on this very forum actually. That Eli could be anything.

[jcckidz]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I read the post from JAL prior to my making my post. The essense of my question is, did Eli's turning affect his androgyny?

Before being turned, Eli didn't feel like a boy or a girl. Just before being turned, a huge symbol of masculinity was taken a way from him. What I would like to know is, when turned, was the sexual part of his human biology (i.e. being a biological male) stripped from him, along with the other biological aspects that were?

We know his digestive system changed, his need to go to the bathroom was taken away, his skin could not take the rising sun, but was his being a biological male taken away from him as well? In other words, after becoming a vampire, did Eli remain a biological male?

If the answer is yes, Eli is still biologically male, then only the first two tiers of my theory hold true. If it is no, Eli is no longer biologically male, then all three tiers exist.

Thank you all again for your responses!

[drakkar]

What I would like to know is, when turned, was the sexual part of his human biology (i.e. being a biological male) stripped from him, along with the other biological aspects that were?

Eli was a pre-sexual (or what to call it) when he was turned, so the turning didn't strip him for the sexuality, but rather prevented it from developing. Eli is frozen in a pre-sexual state, JAL once said this was part of the background for the story (he used words like "not quite there" about both Oskar and Eli). What Eli might have committed with his helpers is hard to say, but from Eli's POV it isn't sex - because Eli don't know what sex is, even if he would recognize the actions. He simply is "not quite there". So sex as an adult concept is not an issue here.

[metoo]

... his need to go to the bathroom was taken away, ...

The novel tells us nothing about that. Oskar contemplates the question, but that's all.

Personally, I think Eli still needing "bathrooms" would be more in line with JAL's approach to the infection, i.e. it is to a considerable extent a biological phenomenon.