Middlesex Reading Response (Books 1 & 2) - The Forbidden Love

In Jeffrey Eugenides' epic novel Middlesex, we have, once again, the theme of the forbidden love. We saw it first in The Scarlet Letter in the form of adultery and again in Lolita, appearing as pedophilia. Now we have, in books one and two of Eugenides' tale, a new taboo: the incestuous love. The narrator Cal, formerly known as Calliope, provides a detailed description of how his grandmother and grandfather - simultaneously his great-uncle and aunt - fell in love and married and how the strains of such a frustratingly guilt-ridden relationship eventually pushed them apart. 

Though Cal's grandfather, Lefty, initially finds himself extremely conflicted over the incestuous desire he feels, the onus of guilt seems to be placed primarily on his sister, Desdemona, who suffers the pangs of a guilty conscience throughout the duration of their marriage. Though the two contrive an elaborate story of their whirlwind romance - a story of which they, themselves, are almost convinced - Desdemona cannot shirk from her memory, as Lefty seems to do, the true, incestuous circumstances of their affair. She cannot help but fear that divine retribution will be taken against her children for her and her husband's sins. She fears giving birth to a monster baby covered all in hair or with toad-like skin. Though baby Milton comes out perfectly fine, Desdemona refuses to tamper with God's will again. She avoids sex with Lefty as often as she can, despite his insults and complaints, in the hopes that she will never again conceive another child of his. Her attempt fails, however, and their daughter is eventually born. She resorts, finally, to having her tubes tied. 

Although incest is generally regarded by all societies as taboo, what is interesting about the guilt Desdemona that feels is that it is entirely internal and self-imposed. Sourmelina is the only one who knows of their secret (although we later find out Jimmy may have known, too), and Sourmelina is not one to judge, even though she may sometimes joke. Desdemona and Lefty have successfully passed to the outside world as an ordinary husband and wife. There are no direct societal obstacles standing in their way; there is no one forbidding their relationship, even though it is the epitome of the "forbidden love." We see, in Desdemona's character, the power of deeply ingrained social mores at work. Even though her relationship with Lefty did, at its onset, actually seem very pure, she cannot release her conscience from the grip of society's moral code. 

The character of Sourmelina stands in stark contrast to the tormented Desdemona. While both women are, by society's standards, sexually deviant perverts, Sourmelina is a brash, independent woman who makes no apologies for her forbidden sapphic ways. Though her sexuality is referred to by the narrator as a "secret," there doesn't seem to be anything secretive about it - at least not on her part, anyway. Lina makes quite clear the lack of desire she possesses for her husband and casually mentions the red-headed showgirl from the theatre whom she wants to sleep with. When Jimmy is out of the picture and she finds a female partner for herself, she makes no secret as to the nature of their affair.

Though both women practice a form of forbidden love, Sourmelina's rather openly lesbian identity and affairs are much more likely to put her to public shame than is Desdemona's seemingly normal marriage. Yet Sourmelina is the one who just doesn't give a damn, while Desdemona is entirely eaten up inside. It is emphasized that Sourmelina has been thoroughly Americanized, while Desdemona has maintained fairly old-school Greek traditions. Perhaps something is thus said about changing mores around homosexuality in America at this time. 

Comments

  Marcella, since we talked

 
Marcella, since we talked in class about the ideas you worked out so well here, I thought I would just remark on this point: "Though both women practice a form of forbidden love, Sourmelina's rather openly lesbian identity and affairs are much more likely to put her to public shame than is Desdemona's seemingly normal marriage."  From the perspective of an onlooker, it is true what you say about the irony of the two women's differing responses. 
 
But what we also see from Desdemona's anguish is the strength of existing power relations established by cultural taboos.  She has so taken on the  role of taboo-breaker that she lives in constant shame and turmoil even though most are totally unaware of it.  This is an interesting way for the novel to show how culture shapes our subjectivity to make it seem like a psychological universal has been transgressed.