“But still she didn’t let go of my hand. Not
for a while longer yet. The stretcher was wheeled down the corridor and my arm
stretched out towards the Object… To gaze at the Obscure Object. For once more
she was becoming a mystery to me… She stood at the end of the hall, holding my
unraveling arm… Finally the inevitable moment came. The Object let go. My hand
flew up, free, empty” (394-395).
“Fracture”
reflects both the chosen quote and the overall novel. The two sides represent
Cal’s arm (left) and the Obscure Object’s arm (right) the moment the Object
lets go. The Object’s arm is dot shaded it give it no clear boundary thereby
causing it to be obscure and mysterious. The Object’s arm is also black on a
white background, which causes the colors in Cal’s arm to stand out. The colors
in Cal’s arm are used to represent that since Cal does not fit the
characteristics of a traditional male or female, Cal’s gender is neither black
nor white. The black boundary confining the colors in Cal’s arm represents
society restricting Cal from openly accepting his own condition. The shape of
Cal’s arm depicts the ups and downs of a rollercoaster and represents the
“rollercoaster ride of a single gene through time” (4). The rollercoaster leads
to the fracturing of the bond between Cal and the Object’s arms. The fracturing
symbolizes both the “single gene” fracturing Cal’s life, and the fracturing of
Cal’s connection to society when he finds out his true identity.
Eugenides,
Jeffrey. Middlesex. New York:
Picador, 2002. Print.
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