https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i3.097
Unfolding the Transgender Labyrinth in I Wish You All the Best
TESSY THOMAS
Assistant Professor, Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta &
Research Scholar, St Thomas College, Kozhencherry
PROF. (DR.) TOM THOMAS
St Thomas College, Kozhencherry, Kerala
Email: tom.zemeckis@gmail.com
Abstract: The history of transgender communities is complex and distinct from that of other groups. They experience hurtful judgment and rejection from society, even from their own families. Though there have been extensive studies concerning transgender issues, their problems are not solved completely. They still face various hurdles to live a normal life, which satisfy their inner self.
Mason Deaver is an American transgender author who represented these problems in literature. Deaver’s I Wish You All the Best depicts the complexities of the coming-out process of a transgender protagonist, who struggles in a cisnormative world. This paper explores the complex struggle that transgender people undergo while trying to live with their true identity. They fail to disclose their identity due to fear of society’s transphobia or gender discrimination.
Disclosing the gender identity itself is a major problem for these individuals. Transgender people hide their identity to get a social life as people of other genders. This paper brings out the complexities of disclosing gender identity, the psychological toll of hiding one’s true self, and the societal misconceptions that perpetuate discrimination. By shedding light on these issues, this paper aims to focus on the need to transform the cultural norms of society and to create a more inclusive and compassionate society that embraces diversity and supports the well-being of transgender individuals.
This paper also examines the tension between the character’s life of their predestined fate and their quest for meaning in a gender-biased world.
Keywords: Transphobia, Nonbinary, Gender Expression, Gender Dysphoria
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