Introduction
It is said that change is never easy; life is a series of passages, many of which can be unpredictable and challenging. One such passage is explored in “Transitions” (2016), a short story by Canadian writer Gwen Benaway. Appearing in the collection Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology, it explores the author’s journey of transitioning into womanhood. The main character and setting of the story are of paramount significance as Benaway narrates her frustrations with the winding journey of the transgender experience. The existing research on gender identity, attitudes toward transgender people, and transgender health care reaffirm the protagonist’s struggles. From the arduous healthcare practices to the experience of social distress evoked by other people’s perceptions of a transgender person, Benaway examines how strenuous and uncontrollable the process of gender transitioning can be at times. Through its setting and characterization, Gwen Benaway’s “Transitions” accurately depicts the difficulty of transgender people’s journey to womanhood and the importance of taking ownership of one’s path to transition.
Main body
“Transitions” begins with a description of a hurried setting full of twists and turns, paralleling the central character’s emotionally arduous journey of transitioning. As evidenced by the narrator’s mention of phones “blinking with unread notifications,” the reader is led to believe that it is a present-day setting and the character is late (Benaway 77). This mention creates an atmosphere of anxiety and stress right from the beginning of the story. Making her way through the underground, the narrator describes the process as “crossing subway lines” and “zigzagging through.” This choice of words is intentional on the part of the author, as Benaway conveys that the directions of her life path are also constantly alternating, and she is trying her best to keep up. The train that “pushes her of balance” so that she needs to hold on tighter indicates the character’s inner state during the transition. The general idea of transportation is symbolic of the story’s title and theme: the central character is physically and emotionally moved from one place to another, and the ride is not necessarily pleasant.
The description of the setting with the roads full of twists and turns that one is always late to take is consistent with the existing research on people’s experiences with gender transition. Transition is not a universal linear process that has a definite beginning and an end but more so “an ongoing work on the self” (Shepherd and Hanckel 53). Due to the diversity of transgender lives and healthcare experiences not being widely understood, people who transition often take on the additional work themselves. By showing the protagonist that goes through the unmapped territory on her own, Benaway attempts to evoke the reader’s understanding of how much inner strength it takes to transition.
The central character of “Transitions” is crucial to the reader’s understanding of the perils of living life as a transgender person in society, particularly regarding other people’s perceptions of transitioning. The narrator herself is critical of her appearance, describing herself as a “transgender ghost” due to improperly applied makeup – a skill that she perceives vital to transitioning from a man to a woman (Benaway 78). Characterizing herself as “an obvious transwoman,” the narrator further describes her awareness of other people’s critical perceptions of her. For instance, she observes a man on the train who she perceives to be examining her body, “caught between fascination and disgust” (Benaway 78). The fact that transgender people have to deal with widespread prejudice and discrimination is a well-documented fact. However, it is significant that the character’s only unpleasant encounter is with a male.
What could be construed as a character’s misreading of a situation is supported by the research studies that suggest cisgender heterosexual men exhibit more transgender prejudice than cisgender heterosexual women. Brassel and Anderson claim that transgender women can be perceived as a threat to cisgender men’s manhood and masculinity due to the existing narratives about gender within society (448). Therefore, the protagonist in “Transitions” is probably not wrong when she assumes that the man is trying to confirm “whatever assumptions he has created in his mind” about her (Benaway 78). This scene demonstrates the scrutiny to which transgender people can be subjected and the ultimate power they demonstrate by expressing their authentic selves anyway, despite the obstacles they are used to facing.
The character’s decision to take ownership of her path to transition is relayed to the reader through the character’s inner thoughts after she again faces other people’s criticism and suggestions regarding her journey. After her conversation with the elder, the protagonist’s thinking patterns seem to change. Presented at the beginning of the story as a person aware of how her appearance matches societal expectations, she suddenly questions those expectations (Benaway 84). Protesting other “experts” and their visions of what her journey needs to look like, from the clothes she wears to the things she does, the narrator starts to understand that this is her body and her journey. This moment shows that she is ready to follow her path.
The element of setting symbolic of the protagonist taking ownership of her transition is a falcon she sees outside her window as she receives the news of having to stop her experimental treatment. Now that the character’s thinking patterns have changed, what used to be a familiar scene of the bird hunting for its prey turns into a supporting message from the universe (Benaway 85). The symbolic nature of this scene contrasts with the setting at the beginning of the story. When the character is on the train, she cannot sit down and relax because all of the seats are already taken (Benaway 77). She has to stand and try to keep her balance while the other passengers criticize her. This setting symbolizes that no matter how hard she tries, the narrator will never belong. The image of the falcon, on the other hand, is a symbol of the freedom she gains through changing her thought patterns.
The character’s initial sense of not fitting in is supported by the research showing that transgender people face various stigmatization that causes them to feel alienated from the rest of the world. Astudillo and García note that transgender individuals experience vulnerability and are at risk of self-stigmatization (1640). Thus, the character who criticizes herself and is preoccupied with other people’s perceptions is changed by the end of the story. Taking ownership of what it means to be a woman, the narrator links the image of the falcon to her ancestors, reinforcing the idea of support and belonging (Benaway 84). She now knows that being a woman is about her spirit, and she is ready to persevere on her own individual journey to womanhood.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Gwen Benaway’s “Transitions” presents the reader with a meticulously crafted narrative of how complicated the process of gender transition can be. From the setting and its atmosphere of urgency and chaos to the characterization that reveals the author’s efforts to establish herself as a woman, Benaway shows how taking ownership of one’s transition sets one free. The change may not be easy, but it is up to each individual to decide their way.
Works Cited
Astudillo, L, F., and L, M. García. “Passing and Transphobic Bullying: Stigmatized Identity in Transgender Aesthetics. ” Review of International Geographical Education (RIGEO), vol. 11, no. 4, 2021, pp. 1633-1645.
Benaway, Gwen. “Transitions.” Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology, edited by Nicholson, Hope, et al. Bedside Press, 2016, pp. 77–86.
Brassel, Sheila T., and Veanne N. Anderson, “Who Thinks Outside the Gender Box? Feminism, Gender Self-Esteem, and Attitudes toward Trans People.” Sex Roles, vol. 82, no. 7-8, Apr. 2020, pp. 447–462.
Shepherd, Adam, and Benjamin Hanckel. “Ontologies of Transition(s) in Healthcare Practice: Examining the Lived Experiences and Representations of Transgender Adults Transitioning in Healthcare.” Health Sociology Review, vol. 30, no. 1, 2021, pp. 41-57.