Middlesex: The Story of Cal Stephanides through Sound
Disclaimer to the listener: The ambiguity of sounds serves as the theme of my Soundlist. Instead of searching for musical compositions, I have chosen to use sounds from unexpected sources to describe the events of Cal from Jeffrey Eugenides' novel Middlesex. Thus, the sounds below come from common objects that can be found on a desk or table. This practice of using completely unrelated objects to produce sound effects is a common practice in the film industry. For example, the blaster on Star Wars comes from hitting hammer on wires. Using the ambiguous nature of sound, I challenge the listener to truly listen to the sounds instead of purely reading the title and to visualize the sound not for what it physically is, but for how its vibrations can be interpreted to explain the events found in Middlesex.
Introduction
Calliope Stephanides has a 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. Thus, she has the physical attributes of a female but possesses male hormones. Throughout Jeffrey Eugenide's novel Middlesex Calliope struggles with her identity. Known as Callie while she attends an all-girls school, she later adopts the name Cal when he takes on his male identity. Cal's condition is the result of a genetic mutation. Cal's grandparent's, Lefty and Desdemona, were siblings who came to the United States as refugees. Cal's parents, Milton and Tessie, were distant cousins. Below is a family tree found online by the creator Johan Thygesen. This reference can help clarify Cal's family history as the reader proceeds with this soundlist.
1. Dissonance and Family History
Much of what happens to Cal is the result of biological processes occurring before his birth. Cal is a hermaphrodite with a genetic disorder resulting in a deficiency in 5-alpha-reductase. His grandparents, Desdemona and Lefty, were Greek refugees who came from a small village. During a violent time of military conflict, the opportunity to immigrate to America presented a unique opportunity for them; they could finally start a family together and keep their true brother-sister relationship a secret.2. Metallic Chimes and Changing Ideology
Fixed in her orthodox, Greek methods, Desdemona, Cal's grandmother, dangles a silver spoon over her expecting daughter in-law and firmly pronounces an expected baby boy. However, Cal's uncle, who knew Cal's parents wanted a girl, was persuaded the baby would actually be a girl because he had convinced Cal's parents to conceive the child right before ovulation. Under such circumstances, Cals's uncle proclaimed that the "slower" male sperm would deteriorate before it could attach to the egg.
Though technically both Desdemona and Cal's uncle were "correct" about Cal's gender, this situation represents a change in ideology, a shift from traditional practices to scientific mindsets. There was an emerging idea that nature could be controlled. Such change in ideology is reflected through the sharp, metallic notes hidden in the sound clip. They are quite faint. To some, it may even sound as if the subtle chimes are not there at all. However, that hidden nature itself also helps reflect the gradual change in ideology that was taking place. While most of the family still relied on Desdemona to foretell Cal’s sex, Cal's uncle was still steadfast that science would be a driving force of the next generation.
3. Notes of Indecision
Cal, who is still referred to as Callie during her early teenage years, finds herself sexually attracted to her female neighbor. Her neighbor is referred to as the Object. She provides no explicit justification on why this attraction is bothersome but clearly demonstrates her uneasiness about such emotion. The commodification of the Object’s name even shows an attempt to de-humanize her neighbor so that loving her will be more acceptable.
The sound clip presented is one that reflects the uncomfortable nature of her attraction. Though spaced out relatively evenly, the constant electric pulses produce an uncomfortable ambiance. Especially due to the emphasis on the first beat after each pause of silence, the sound makes the listener cringe. This is representative of the mental battle Callie faced with the Object. She was attracted to the Object and always sought to get closer to her, but as her affection kept progressing, just as the sound clip seems to never end, the uncomfortableness builds and beckons to almost a sense of indecision.
Instead of going through a hormonal balancing and invasive cosmetic surgery, Cal decides to run away from home and officially identify himself as a male. This represented a huge initiative for Cal; he takes these next few years to learn about his body and attempt to mentally make sense of his place in society.
The range of notes in the sound clip is extremely limited. In fact, the entire clip sounds as if it uses two or three notes in a shuffled, step pattern, giving it a limiting, constraining effect. By using so few notes, a sense of loneliness is produced. Cal grew up in a lively Greek family and running away is a very independent journey that he needs to make by himself. Additionally, it should be noted that the sound clip is a constantly moving piece. There is only one negligible break of silence. This is important because, though Cal is alone during this period of his life, he is progressing, transforming, and in a constant state of exploration.
Though my intent on this project is to forgo the subject matter of the sound itself to focus more heavily on the actual details of the sound, this clip in particular is an example where the subject matter of clip can serve to illuminate more about the character. Papers, the source of the sound clip, contain valuable notes that provide direction, intent, and clarity. However, papers can also be easily misplaced. Cal relates to the subject matter of paper, as he lacks information on his own identity. He must retrieve his lost pieces of paper, and, if not, at least find a new piece of paper to define who he is and how he will want to be viewed by society.5. Closure
Never truly comfortable with himself but finally decisive in his identity, Cal decides to confront his family. During this encounter he not only reconciles with his mother and brother, he also learns of Desdemona and Lefty’s secret, that their familial relationship was the source of his genetic abnormality. His mother and brother readily accept him, as does Desdemona who by this point in the novel is completely bed-bound.
The sound accompanied with this event signifies clarity, completeness, and anticipation. Clarity comes from the intonation of the notes itself. Similar to the emotional appeal of realization, the crisp, pure notes bring an air of understanding and completeness. Cal now understands why he is anatomically is who he is and regains the support of his family. Upon closer analysis of the sound, it should also be noted that the chimes become progressively more spaced out. The second chime is carried out less than a second more than the first chime, and last chime is obviously carried out much longer than the first or second chime. This is personally very off-putting, especially because the beautiful sound of the note itself makes one want to feel balanced. The awkward second chime leaves the listener wondering if the note came in too early, a representation of whether Cal's relationship with his family will actually be one of unconditional acceptance, while the last chime leaves a sense of closure, decrescendo-ing into a natural silence.
The Author's Corner:
As I began thinking about how I wanted to structure this project, I realized how much people's understands of certain sounds are influenced by the sound's subject matter. In other words, knowing the subject matter of a sound establishes certain associations even before the sound is heard. In an effort to go against this idea while also completing the necessary steps of the soundlist assignment, I identified 3 objectives for myself:
- Explore how sound can be used to analyze a character from a novel
- Identify specific aspects of sound-- rhythm, range, emotional appeal-- and explain how they symbolize certain aspects of the character's life
- Challenge the listener to focus on not the subject matter of the source, but rather the qualities of the sounds themselves
The third objective I found especially difficult. Halfway through the process I questioned whether or not I should forgo the third objective. However, that would have defeated the creative nature of my project. I used solely sound qualities as best I could to analyze Cal; however, I understand it may not have translated perfectly into traditional analysis. Hopefully, my explanations provide enough information as to how the sounds serve as points of comparison.
One of my the recommendations I received was to incorporate the subject matter of the sound into my analysis:
While editing my soundlist, I attempted to reflect how the subject matter of the sound related to Cal. However, as I continued to write these reflections I realized that doing so would contradict my objective in having the listener analyze the sound, not the subject matter. I have left an example on how subject matter can be used for analysis as a point of comparison in Soundlist #4 but removed such explanations from the other sounds. However, in an effort to make the association with a certain sound element more concrete, I did add titles to my original project. The titles guide the reader/listener towards certain associations without completely removing the imaginative responsibility I place on the reader. Please see the following link for the first draft: http://teachmix.com/boostlit/content/middlesex-story-cal-stephanides-through-sound.
Overall, I enjoyed completing this project. It was my first time experimenting with how sounds could be used to understand a character and made me realize how much deeper I had to reflect upon a character than when simply writing about him/her. The challenge was not only how to articulate Cal's family history or internal conflicts but also how to translate these thoughts into sonic elements effectively. I appreciate the creative liberty I was able to have on this assignment, as it allowed me to experiment with different ways of using sounds to engage the reader. It also served as a stellar introduction to thinking about how sonic elements can serve as a platform for analysis.
Table of Contents
I. Soundlist
II. Audio Essay
III. Improvisation E-Poem
IV. Edited E-Poem
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