Middlesex-Journal+Entry+13


 * Gender Dysphoria in San Francisco, Hermaphroditus, & Air-Ride**

Pg 483- (David) Mamet: American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director (wikipedia). Pg 486- Transmogrification: (Transmogrify)- to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect (Merriam-Webster). Pg 489- Peripatetic: Travelling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods (dictionary.com). Pg 494- Hyperadrenocorticism: a hormone disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. This can be caused by taking glucocoticoid drugs, or by tumors that produce cortisol (wikipedia). Pg 498- Faun: A rustic forest god or place-spirit of Roman mythology often associated with Greek satyrs and the Greek god Pan (wikipedia).
 * Definitions:**

I really enjoyed this book because it made you feel so many different emotions. There were times where I felt uncomfortable but also a lot of times of happiness, sadness, and even confusion. I was surprised throughout the book at the different events taking place. I am really happy we read this book because it was really interesting and I enjoyed Eugenides writing style. He included all of the details he did to shape the plot line. He was able to cleverly weave together the past, present, and future through his details. The details also really helped develop and form the themes throughout the book. This is probably one of the first books that I have read that has made me feel so uncomfortable and yet at the same time kept me very interested. I thought it was an awesome book and I am very glad that we had the chance to read it.
 * What range of emotions did this book make you experience? What have you gained from reading it? Why did Eugenides include the details that he did? Did it surprise you that a novel could make you feel so uncomfortable?**

These last three chapters are very important to the novel. They bring all of the story together and explain everything. Cal is finally forced to call home when the police come into the 69ers. We find out that Milton has died, in his attempt to find Calliope. Cal comes home and has to face his family as his new self. Even though Tessie is upset, she is going to try to accept this new life. Cal is finally able to tell Julie about himself and develop more of a relationship with her. The part that I enjoyed the most in this scene is the way Eugenides again connects the past and the present. He connects the past and the present many times throughout the chapters by relating things but I think the most interesting way he does this is by ending his novel with Desdemona and Cal. Desdemona reveals her secret to Cal, which explains why he is the way he is. These chapters are very significant to the book. We learn where everybody ends up and how everyone moves on. Tessie, Desdemona, and Aunt Zoe all end up in florida in New Smyrna Beach, again connecting the past to the present.
 * 2. Significance of chapters**