I hate John Irving’s writing. But I’m also fascinated by how much I hate it. I’ve come to believe that the world according to Garp is a heteronormative man’s insecurities about feminism. Irving makes it clear feminism is necessary, but his characters display a strange fear-based caricature that I find unrealistic. A nurse raping an invalid patient so she could get by pregnant? More likely she could just have an affair with an unavailable man. The Ellen Jamesians? They have truly taken things to far-i don’t seem feminists being that radical to self-mutilate out of solidarity to a person who doesn’t want that. I am super curious about Roberta though as a trans woman on a novel. I’ve seen Irving use characters who often have identities outside the norm as the voice of reason and sanity. The taboo of their identity is portrayed as allowing them to see truth rather than becoming insane to conform to cultural norms. Transsexual was used I’m sure because that was the term used then. It does sound like Roberta was portrayed well, and given the discomfort with feminism in the book, why do supposed that was? Was she just a well developed character with good reason? Was there an element of trans phobia in her, as the only feminist Garp connected with once lived as a man, thus was able to connect with him? Or like other Irving characters was her transness seen a catalyst for her to not go insaine trying to conform to culture norms of a society that would never fully accept her? I kind of like the juxtapose of how she was an athlete, seen as a symbol of peel masculinity, but now she’s a woman who I’ve seen portrayed as wise and understanding. Being good at football does not make someone a man.
I’d love to hear more analysis of her as a character!