Compulsory Heterosexuality Analysis

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By reading the novel, and Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory Heterosexuality, one can see the relationship between heteronormative gender roles and exclusion and ostracization within and outside of queer communities. Both the novel and Rich’s text share themes of heteronormativity and heteronormative gender roles. By examining Rich’s definition of heteronormative gender roles, one can see the connection between them and instances of exclusion that characters in the novel experience. In Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory heterosexuality, she discusses how it is often not acknowledged, specifically in feminist literature that lesbians exist. She discusses one feminist author views “the lesbian is simply acting out of her bitterness towards men” and another …show more content…
The idea that heterosexuality is the default and that people who stray from traditional male and female gender roles are abnormal that is discussed in Rich’s text is ever present in the way that they raise Jess. “My mother had been informed that I could no longer attend temple unless I wore a dress, something I fought tooth and nail. At that moment I was wearing a Roy Rogers outfit- without my guns. It was hard enough being the only at the temple...Soon afterwards, my Roy Rogers outfit disappeared from the dirty clothes hamper. My father bought me an Annie Oakley outfit instead.”(14). When Jess does not adhere to traditional gender roles by not wearing a dress, their family is ridiculed and they are punished. Jess is already, at this young age, categorized as an “other” due to their lack of traditional strong gender performance. Jess’ families reaction to finding them trying on their father’s clothes is an even more extreme example of the shunning of people who do not follow heteronormative gender roles. When they were found trying on man’s clothes, Jess’ family was so upset that they sent away to a mental institution. The heteronormative gender roles were so ingrained in their parent’s minds that their immediate reaction to Jess breaking them was to think that they were mentally
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