The Recessive Gene Symbol Analysis

Cal’s intersex condition is caused by a recessive gene which has been in his family for 250 years. The gene symbolizes the way that a person’s fate is inherited from their family, while also highlighting how this fate is often not superficially obvious, but secret or hidden. This particular gene first emerges in Cal’s family 250 years before his birth. Because it is recessive, a person must have two copies of the gene in order to actually become intersex, meaning that both of their parents must carry it. The fact that Cal’s grandparents Lefty and Desdemona are brother and sister thus vastly increases his chances of inheriting the gene. Indeed, the whole concept of a recessive gene is vital to the novel’s exploration of secrecy, inheritance, and fate. As in the case of the gene, people inherit fates from their ancestors, but not necessarily in a direct, immediate manner. A particular fate might lie dormant for many generations before making an unexpected appearance. The gene is also important in light of the novel’s consideration of biological determinism and its similarity to Ancient Greek ideas about fate. While the gene could be interpreted as a classic example of biological determinism—because Cal’s life is defined by a random genetic mutation that is then passed through his family via biological inheritance—Cal also disrupts this idea through his own reflections on the gene. When describing the origin of the mutation, he claims that the “biological gods” created it, and that they decided that Cal would inherit it while his brother, Chapter Eleven, wouldn’t. Through fusing religious and biological concepts in his description of the gene, Cal highlights the intimacy between these two seemingly different belief systems.