Middlesex

by

Jeffrey Eugenides

Cal/lie Stephanides

Cal/lie is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Born in Detroit in 1960 to Milton and Tessie Stephanides (who are cousins), Callie is the second child after her brother, Chapter Eleven. Callie is… read analysis of Cal/lie Stephanides

Desdemona Stephanides

Desdemona is Cal and Chapter Eleven’s grandmother, Milton and Zoë’s mother, and Lefty’s wife and sister. Born in Bithynios, a small village on Mount Olympus near Bursa, Asia Minor (which is part… read analysis of Desdemona Stephanides

Eleutherios “Lefty” Stephanides

Lefty is Cal and Chapter Eleven’s grandfather, Milton and Zoë’s father, and Desdemona’s husband and brother. Also born in Bithynios, as a man Lefty has more freedom than Desdemona, and he is… read analysis of Eleutherios “Lefty” Stephanides

Milton (Militadies) Stephanides

Milton is Tessie’s husband and cousin, Cal and Chapter Eleven’s father, and Lefty and Desdemona’s son. His Greek name is Militadies, although throughout his life he is only known as his Anglicized… read analysis of Milton (Militadies) Stephanides

Theodora “Tessie” Stephanides

Theodora (who starts going by “Tessie” as a teenager) is Milton’s wife and cousin, Cal and Chapter Eleven’s mother, and Sourmelina and Jimmy’s only child. She is a quiet, conventional, and dutiful… read analysis of Theodora “Tessie” Stephanides
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Chapter Eleven Stephanides

Chapter Eleven is Cal’s older brother, Milton and Tessie’s first child. (His unconventional name is never explained, and the reader never learns if it is his given name or a nickname.) As a… read analysis of Chapter Eleven Stephanides

Sourmelina Zizmo

Sourmelina Zizmo is Lefty and Desdemona’s cousin, Jimmy’s wife, and Tessie’s mother. Also born in Bithynios, she immigrates to the U.S. before Lefty and Desdemona, and immediately takes to life there. It… read analysis of Sourmelina Zizmo

Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard

Jimmy Zizmo is Sourmelina’s husband and Tessie’s father. He changed his name from Zisimopoulos while immigrating to the U.S. A mysterious man, he has a criminal record and is involved in various criminal… read analysis of Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard

Dr. Luce

Dr. Luce is a famous sexologist who specializes is considered the world expert on intersex conditions. He is seeking to prove a social construction theory of gender, meaning that the way in which a person… read analysis of Dr. Luce

Dr. Nishan Philobosian

Dr. Philobosian is an Armenian doctor who Lefty and Desdemona meet in Smyrna during the city’s brutal destruction by the Turkish Army. Dr. Philobosian hopes that he will be kept safe by the fact that… read analysis of Dr. Nishan Philobosian

Michael Antoniou (“Father Mike”)

Michael is from the same Greek community in Detroit as the Stephanides family. While he is a young man training to be a priest, he is briefly engaged to Tessie, although when she ultimately… read analysis of Michael Antoniou (“Father Mike”)

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”)

Zoë is Father Mike’s wife, Lefty and Desdemona’s second child, Milton’s sister, and Tessie’s cousin. She is not a particularly prominent character in the novel and is described as a “wallflower,”… read analysis of Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”)

The Obscure Object

The Obscure Object is a girl who attends Baker & Inglis with Callie and is also in Mr. da Silva’s advanced English class. (Her name is a nickname Callie chose for her in order… read analysis of The Obscure Object

Rex Reese

Rex is a wealthy, obnoxious teenage boy who accidentally killed his girlfriend in a drunk-driving accident and whose parents also have a house in Petoskey. He and the Obscure Object hook up for a while… read analysis of Rex Reese

Julie Kikuchi

Julie is a Japanese-American artist whom Cal meets in Berlin. Cal is initially entranced by her, although he struggles to work up the courage to be intimate with her, due to lingering feelings of shame… read analysis of Julie Kikuchi

Zora

Zora is a beautiful intersex person whom Cal meets in San Francisco. He lives in Zora’s house and works with her at a sex club called Sixty-Niners. Zora is proud of being intersex, and doesn’t… read analysis of Zora
Minor Characters
Jerome
Jerome is the Obscure Object’s older brother. He is obnoxious and annoying, and has a crush on Callie. The two briefly have sex, after which Callie rejects him. When he catches Callie and the Object having sex and tells Callie to leave his sister alone, Callie attacks him.
Mr. Object
Mr. Object is the Obscure Object’s wealthy father. He served in World War II, and can be inferred to have issues with alcohol (due to the fact that he drinks and drives with Callie in the car on the way to Petoskey).
Mrs. Object
Mrs. Object is the Obscure Object’s mother.
Beulah
Beulah is the Obscure Object’s family’s maid.
Clementine Stark
Clementine is Callie’s neighbor on Middlesex Boulevard in Grosse Pointe when she is a young girl. The two girls become friends and sexually experiment with each other. However, Clementine’s father then dies and she and her mother move away.
Carmen
Carmen is a trans woman who works with Zora and Cal as a performer at Sixty-Niners. She is saving up for gender confirmation surgery.
Bob Presto
Bob Presto is the owner of Sixty-Niners club. A slightly sketchy man, he nonetheless takes care of Cal after picking him up as a hitchhiker on the way to San Francisco.
Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina is Bob’s girlfriend.
Mr. da Silva
Mr. da Silva is the teacher of Callie’s Advanced English class. Originally from Brazil, he has visited Greece and encourages Callie to embrace her Greek identity.
Maxine Grossinger
Maxine Grossinger is Callie’s neighbor and another girl in Mr. da Silva’s advanced English class. She is the only Jewish student at Baker & Inglis. She dies of a brain aneurism onstage in the class’ production of Antigone.
Hettie Grossinger
Hettie is Maxine’s mother.
Sam Grossinger
Sam is Maxine’s father.
Sophie Sassoon
Sophie is a member of the Detroit Greek community and owns a salon where Callie gets her mustache waxed.
Meg
Meg is Chapter Eleven’s Marxist girlfriend, whom he meets at college.
Morrison
Morrison is a black man who lives across the street from the Zebra Room. He is killed by the military during the 1967 race riots.
Sister Wanda
Sister Wanda is a member of the Nation of Islam who hires Desdemona.
Matt
Matt is a young homeless man and Deadhead (follower of the Grateful Dead) whom Cal meets in San Francisco. They become friends and live in the park together.
Ben Scheer
Ben Scheer is a sophisticated, bohemian gay man who picks Cal up as a hitchhiker and attempts to have sex with him.
Ed
Ed is a barber in Scranton, Pennsylvania who cuts off Cal’s long hair.
Dr. Bauer
Dr. Bauer is a gynecologist who Tessie tries to take Callie to see. The Obscure Object describes him as a “pervert.”
Mr. Go
Mr. Go is a patron of Sixty-Niners.
Peter Takakis (“Uncle Pete”)
Uncle Pete is a friend of the Stephanides family in Detroit. He is a chiropractor.
Socrates
Soctrates is one of Zoë and Father Mike’s children, and is thus Cal’s cousin.
Plato
Plato is one of Zoë and Father Mike’s children.
Aristotle
Aristotle is one of Zoë and Father Mike’s children.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra is one of Zoë and Father Mike’s children.
Euphrosyne Stephanides
Euphrosyne was Lefty and Desdemona’s mother, and thus Cal’s great-grandmother. She lived and died in Bithynios.
Lucille Kafkalis
Lucille is an unattractive young woman who is one of the only two marriageable women in Bithynios. Desdemona attempts to set her up with Lefty.
Victoria Pappas
Victoria is the other eligible woman in Bithynios. She is also unattractive.
General Hajienestis
General Hajienestis is the leader of the Greek army in Smyrna. He ends up choosing to abandon the city.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha
Mustafa Kemal Pasha is the Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Army during the invasion of Smyrna. He later becomes the first president of Turkey, changing his last name to Atatürk.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford is the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and is one of the most famous businessmen in history.
Father Stylianopoulos
Father Stylianopoulos is a priest at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Detroit.
Gaia Vasilakis
Gaia is a young woman whom Desdemona unsuccessfully tries to set up with Milton.
Mrs. Evelyn Watson
Mrs. Evelyn Watson is Sourmelina’s girlfriend. They live together in New Mexico until Evelyn’s death.
Marius Wyxzewixard Challouehliczilczese Grimes
Marius is a patron of the Zebra Room and a member of the Black Power Movement. He is fond of Callie, but Milton thinks of him as a “troublemaker” and bans Callie from talking to him.