When Eli becomes a boy

[jkwilliams]

In the english version of the book, there's a scene where Eli stops the record that Oskar is playing with "her" finger. When "he" lifts his finger and the record resumes playing again, Eli has now become a boy.

I like that symbolism.

Up till then, the author's been stringing the reader along about Eli's gender. It's been like The Crying Game for preteens. Everything changes after that scene though. The author starts using male pronouns when writing about Eli, and Oskar accepts the fact that the girl he's fallen in love with is really a boy Yes I know, the other characters in the book continue to mistake Eli for a girl but you know the truth.

I've also noticed how upset some people get when this happens in the book but I've never really been able to understand why?

[metoo]

… I've also noticed how upset some people get when this happens in the book but I've never really been able to understand why?

Neither have I. Most people here seem to have read the novel, and many still keep referring to Eli as "she".

An explanation to the insistence of Eli as a girl might be that these people's first and strongest impression of Eli is the movie, where the truth of Eli's gender never is made very clear. Such a strong impression might be hard to change.

Also, apparently Lina didn't even learn that Eli was supposed to be a boy until after the film was made.

Personally, though, I think that Eli being a boy makes the story more interesting. It makes the love between O&E more problematic, and its final victory even more sweet and promising.

[DarkGuyver]

To tell the truth I've read the novel twice since I've got it Autumn of last year and I did notice the JAL alteration of Eli's gender but it never bothered me at all. As I still like Eli's character.

[intrige]

I have never had anything against Eli being a boy, I actually like it, as metoo said,. It makes the story more interesting.

[a_contemplative_life]

This is a little off topic but it's my impression from past posts that the Swedish language allows a bit more flexibility with gender neutral terms than English. Is that true?

[Nightrider]

It is very true that Eli being a boy makes the novel that much more interesting and radical.
I think the fact that some readers feel discomfort with the sex switch has to do with latent homophobia (which is universal) and not due to any language barriers.

[J.J.]

Eli being a boy is a very original twist to the typical "love story", sure, but still I'm one of those who prefer thinking of her as a girl... At least in my case I don't think that's latent homophobia at all, in fact I have absolutely nothing against homosexuality. It's just that, being a boy myself I find it more, I don't know... romantic?, if Eli is just a real girl

[metoo]

This is a little off topic but it's my impression from past posts that the Swedish language allows a bit more flexibility with gender neutral terms than English. Is that true?

Not really. We have the reflexive pronouns sig and sitt/sin, which are gender neutral, and which would be translated into English himself/his, herself/her, or themselves/their.

Swedish also allows using determinate form instead of a pronoun to indicate possessivity, like this:
Eli skakade på huvudet. Eli shook his head (literally: Eli shook the head.)
In this case, it's obvious what head Eli was shaking - his own - and thus the determinate is normally used. As you can see, Eli's gender is hidden in the Swedish version.

[intrige]

Not really. We have the reflexive pronouns sig and sitt/sin, which are gender neutral, and which would be translated into English himself/his, herself/her, or themselves/their.

Swedish also allows using determinate form instead of a pronoun to indicate possessivity, like this:
Eli skakade på huvudet. Eli shook his head (literally: Eli shook the head.)
In this case, it's obvious what head Eli was shaking - his own - and thus the determinate is normally used. As you can see, Eli's gender is hidden in the Swedish version.

I looked for it in my norwegian novel, it's quite a while ago but I can't recall seing any: Hers or Shes, anywhere..

And for the swedish members being more acsepting about Eli being a boy after all, well, scandinavian please and thank you. There are only two norwegian members that I know of, me included. And no Dannish, and what not. But I think it might be something cultural. And also about the individual. I have met homophobic norwgians before, seen them on blogs. Making faces of dusgust when seing a gay couple walking by. etc.. And I am not like that of course, but that is just me. or is just GoV, or metoo, or Drakkar and more. Even though the scandinavin culture is more,, what can I say? More at ease than the American culure in some places, it always depends one the person. Of course the sosial normes and rules in a sosiaty has a lot to say. But in the end humans can choose to think for themselves and walk against the stream if that's what it's about.

I would say, as an infected. That we should acsept Eli like Oskar did. Eli is what he is, and I think JAL once said Eli was an "anything" which suggest that you can choose. Eli is very easly chaped by his surrondings, which I think is something that is very clear in the book. When needing to, sure, he can be a girl, if that means he'll get victims or helpers easier. Wearing a dress maybe to make it easier for Oskar to know he's a boy, still hinting that he sort of can be a girl, it doesn't really matter what Oskar sees. Eli has no bouderies, nothiing that says that the pink dress is forbidden. I emvy him for that.
Yeha so that's my thoughts, a bit too long maybe hehe..

[ofelia]

This is a little off topic but it's my impression from past posts that the Swedish language allows a bit more flexibility with gender neutral terms than English. Is that true?

So actually I think the answer to your question a_c_l is yes. Because in English you do have to say "he" or "she" to refer to a person. If you're reading the Swedish and you already know the twist, you definitely pick up on that Eli is never called he/she in scenes where the characters know his gender. I don't know if it would read awkwardly otherwise, but it didn't seem like you would notice unless you were looking for it.

I think the fact that some readers feel discomfort with the sex switch has to do with latent homophobia (which is universal) and not due to any language barriers.

I think this is probably true, and I would like to point out that it doesn't necessarily mean those readers have anything against homosexuality on principle, it just seems a little weird to them to have a character suddenly "change" gender. And that it's maybe easier for them to understand if it was a boy and a girl.
Personally, I thought there were certainly hints to indicate that Eli might be a boy, especially the "boy angel" thing that Håkan imagines. And the story Eli starts to tell to the cancer lady. And in terms of personality it made sense to me that this was a boy. I think for Oskar it was more romantic at first to think of Eli as a girl, but the way he comes to terms with that is very well paced and well written. I really liked the abrupt switch from she to he in the English. At first it seems to matter... then it doesn't. Like intrige says gender doesn't have much importance in Eli's mind, as far as we can tell, and there's no reason it should in his situation. It does seem weird to me that people still call him "she", but when you think about it I don't think he himself would care. So whatever