In the novel, Eli and the omniscient narrator never describe the character as anything other than han ("he"). In other words, Eli is certainly a "he" in the way JAL wrote the book.
Mm, well, I disagree. But I'll leave that discussion be until you've finished the book.
I'm talking about what I've read online. And going by the movie. I haven't gotten far in the book. But, it's still a fact that Eli is a castrated male.sauvin wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 12:25 amAnd when she says she's not a girl, not a boy, not young, not old - that she's nothing - what is she really saying?Jessy7217 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 1:57 pmI haven't got that far, in the book. But, I've read that Eli is absolutely a boy. That cannot be refuted. Also, Eli turned Oskar. And, Oskar loves Eli. So, he would not be interested in girls, imo.sauvin wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 7:48 pm
"Oskar, I'm no girl", she tells him. She implies it once behind the kiosk, and flatly states it in his room.
... but what is she really saying? In the novel, while the two are sharing a blanket, she says something like "I'm not a girl, and not a boy. Not young, not old. I'm nothing".
In the novel, this is a fact. In the movie, it is not. The novel and the movie are closely related, but still separate works of fiction. For many of us, Eli is a girl; this, too, is a fact.
Having seen the film first, Eli is a girl to me too, no matter how many times I read the book. The film came later in time, after the book was published and cast in concrete. But remember; JAL was personally involved in picking the lead characters for the film. He could have easily picked a more androgenous child to play Eli; instead, he picked Lina, the very personification of a 12-year=old girl. This has been discussed on the forum in many different threads, but the bottom line is, he picked a genuine, state-of-the-art girl to play the part of Elias.sauvin wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 7:35 pmIn the novel, this is a fact. In the movie, it is not. The novel and the movie are closely related, but still separate works of fiction. For many of us, Eli is a girl; this, too, is a fact.
While we do value fact-based reasoning, the term "fact" apparently needs some review.
That's not what Eli says in the movie, though. And, at the age he was at the time of the castration, he was absolutely a clearly defined boy, imo.PeteMork wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 12:04 amHaving seen the film first, Eli is a girl to me too, no matter how many times I read the book. The film came later in time, after the book was published and cast in concrete. But remember; JAL was personally involved in picking the lead characters for the film. He could have easily picked a more androgenous child to play Eli; instead, he picked Lina, the very personification of a 12-year=old girl. This has been discussed on the forum in many different threads, but the bottom line is, he picked a genuine, state-of-the-art girl to play the part of Elias.sauvin wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 7:35 pmIn the novel, this is a fact. In the movie, it is not. The novel and the movie are closely related, but still separate works of fiction. For many of us, Eli is a girl; this, too, is a fact.
While we do value fact-based reasoning, the term "fact" apparently needs some review.
I take Eli at her word: "I'm nothing. Not a child. Not old. Not a boy. Not a girl. Nothing," which pretty much leaves it to us to decide for ourselves. Since S(he) was castrated before S(he) was physically either a clearly defined boy OR girl, I (and Oskar) feel fully justified in thinking of Eli as a girl, damn the 'facts' of the case.
