Analysis of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Linsay Gonzalez
Mrs. Bean
AP English, Period 4
02 January 2010
Middlesex
“Poseidon, enraged, caused Mino’s wife Pasiphae to be smitten with love for a bull. How the child of that union, Asterius, came out with a bull’s head attached to a human body…The Minotaur appeared…He growled; drums pounded; chorus girls screamed and fled. The Minotaur pursued, and of course he caught them, each one, and devoured her bloodily, and dragged her pale, defenseless body deeper into the maze” (Minotaurs, 108).
- Allusion
Jeffrey Eugenides was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1960. His father was American but his grandparents were Greek and his mother was from Irish decent. He drew some of his own experiences and incorporated them into the novel to make it more realistic and credible (Keenan). There are a lot of similarities between the main character and Eugenides like both attended public school and then transferred to private. They both state that they attended to Stanford and as older men they fall in love with a Japanese-American woman (Bloomsbury). A remarkable connection is the Obscure Object. In an interview, Eugenides remarks that during college he and his friend were in love with a mysterious woman and they named her the Obscure Object (Weich). As a fourteen year old, Callie has a crush on a classmate whom she also calls the Obscure Object and she is the cause of Callie’s life to finally spiral out of control. Eugenides admits to placing himself in Callie’s shoes in order to make the next step (Weich).
Imagery: It is 1922 and the Turks have invaded Greece. They take over Smyrna and are destroying everything in their path without compassion. Coming back from delivering a baby, “it didn’t occur to Dr. Philobosian that the twisted body he stepped over in the street belonged to his younger son. He noticed only that his front door was open. In the foyer, he stopped to listen. There was only silence…Toukhie was sitting in the sofa, waiting for him. Her
Mrs. Bean
AP English, Period 4
02 January 2010
Middlesex
“Poseidon, enraged, caused Mino’s wife Pasiphae to be smitten with love for a bull. How the child of that union, Asterius, came out with a bull’s head attached to a human body…The Minotaur appeared…He growled; drums pounded; chorus girls screamed and fled. The Minotaur pursued, and of course he caught them, each one, and devoured her bloodily, and dragged her pale, defenseless body deeper into the maze” (Minotaurs, 108).
- Allusion
Jeffrey Eugenides was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1960. His father was American but his grandparents were Greek and his mother was from Irish decent. He drew some of his own experiences and incorporated them into the novel to make it more realistic and credible (Keenan). There are a lot of similarities between the main character and Eugenides like both attended public school and then transferred to private. They both state that they attended to Stanford and as older men they fall in love with a Japanese-American woman (Bloomsbury). A remarkable connection is the Obscure Object. In an interview, Eugenides remarks that during college he and his friend were in love with a mysterious woman and they named her the Obscure Object (Weich). As a fourteen year old, Callie has a crush on a classmate whom she also calls the Obscure Object and she is the cause of Callie’s life to finally spiral out of control. Eugenides admits to placing himself in Callie’s shoes in order to make the next step (Weich).
Imagery: It is 1922 and the Turks have invaded Greece. They take over Smyrna and are destroying everything in their path without compassion. Coming back from delivering a baby, “it didn’t occur to Dr. Philobosian that the twisted body he stepped over in the street belonged to his younger son. He noticed only that his front door was open. In the foyer, he stopped to listen. There was only silence…Toukhie was sitting in the sofa, waiting for him. Her