When Eli becomes a boy

[metoo]

And just when Oskar has grasped the concept that Eli really is a boy, Eli chooses one of Oskar's mum's dresses to wear…

Eli apparently has no need to defend a gender identity, so he is able to choose the most worn garment in the wardrobe. Maybe because he doesn't have any gender identity. John's intentions was to make Eli androgynous, so that interpretation would fit.

A different interpretation would be that Eli was confused about his gender, thinking that the mutilation had removed his boyhood. But then he would feel a conflict, his inner gender identity would still be that of a boy, and he would need to fight for it. That would make him less likely to wear girl's clothes.

So my conclusion is that Eli of course knows he really is a boy and not a girl, but only on a logical level, his feelings tells him nothing. He chooses the dress not because he likes wearing it, but because he doesn't dislike wearing it.

This makes me wonder if there are actual people having a similar self perception. There are transgender people, who strongly feel that their body doesn't match their perceived gender. But someone who felt no gender identity at all wouldn't have that problem, and might be able to live happily and unrecognised.

[Ash]

The social isolation that Eli has experienced for so long, together with the daily practicality of survival above all ease, could mean he saw clothes choice as an insignificant issue in his life.
In fact the novel suggests he had also lost the concept of modesty altogether.
"The bathroom lock turned and the door opened. Eli was standing in front of him. Completely naked."
I don't see Eli as wanting to wear clothes of any particular gender type, or any clothes at all beyond the practicality of survival, not standing out from others.
"Eli started to put on the bloodstained shirt and Oskar said: "You're gross, don't you get it? You're gross."
When you've been in a constant battle to survive for 200 years, and you murder people every other day, the issues or personal hygiene and what you ware are of no consequence.

[jkwilliams]

For my Eli is an nonsexual he.

That's the way I look at it too.

Eli is frozen in time. Despite what he wears or how he looks, he'll always be that twelve year old boy that the vampire chose from all the others. Being castrated didn't erase who he was, it just means he'll never have any interest in sex.

Hey! I think we may have just found another connection with Morrissey

[metoo]

The social isolation that Eli has experienced for so long, together with the daily practicality of survival above all ease, could mean he saw clothes choice as an insignificant issue in his life.
In fact the novel suggests he had also lost the concept of modesty altogether.
"The bathroom lock turned and the door opened. Eli was standing in front of him. Completely naked."
I don't see Eli as wanting to wear clothes of any particular gender type, or any clothes at all beyond the practicality of survival, not standing out from others.

This lack of modesty is something I've also noticed. Another instance is when Eli drops the towel in front of Oskar, to show the truth about his gender. Afterwards he doesn't pick it up, but continues standing there naked, looking around Oskar's living room.

"Eli started to put on the bloodstained shirt and Oskar said: "You're gross, don't you get it? You're gross."
When you've been in a constant battle to survive for 200 years, and you murder people every other day, the issues or personal hygiene and what you ware are of no consequence.

The sensation of disgust is a protection against infection, to make us avoid stuff that may make us sick. Eli obviously is impervious to disease, so maybe the reaction of disgust has disappeared because it is no longer useful?

[TigerEyes]

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.

yeah it never bothered me either. I do wonder that if Lina had known that Eli was suypposed to be a boy as in the film, what would she be likely to do? We she still be the same way or slightly different?

[TigerEyes]

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 twon 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 mave met homophobic norwgians before, seen them on blogs. Making faces of dusgust when sehing 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 ir 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 sositay has a lot to say. But in the end humans can chose 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 waht he is, and I think JAL once said Eli was an "anything" which suggest that you can chose. Eli is very easly chaped by her 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..

I am also one of those who are very much accepting of Eli as a boy because he is originally a boy and the idea of just keeping it "boy meets girl" romance is quite old to me.

[TigerEyes]

For my Eli is an nonsexual he.

that would be called an Asexual. I think it just might be likely but because he's 12 and is likely to have little to no hormones after the castration.

[jkwilliams]

Please forgive me if these questions have already been answered but this is all making me curious.

Has the novel been translated into languages other than Swedish and English? If it has, I was wondering how they dealt with Eli's gender in those languages. Since the author obviously knows English, I was kind of surprised to read that the English translation was actually done by a woman named Ebba Segerberg. Even though the author may not have done his own translation, I still have to assume he gave his approval to the way Eli's gender switches in the English version.

[Nightrider]

I can refer to a Russian language version of LTROI. In it Eli's gender switches from female to male at exactly the same point as in the English translation. She becomes He and stays that way until the book's conclusion.



I believe that in Spanish version Eli continually referred to as a female, but due to my limited knowledge of the language I'd rather let the Spanish speaking members verify this fact.

[J.J.]

I can refer to a Russian language version of LTROI. In it Eli's gender switches from female to male at exactly the same point as in the English translation. She becomes He and stays that way until the book's conclusion.

Same for the Spanish edition. Or so I remember, I'd have to check it... I've read the book only once so far and my memory isn't very good...