Stone Butch Blues

The Definition In his novel “A Game of Thrones,” George R. R. Martin says that “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you” (40). It is true that one should be appreciated, and it is acceptable for everyone to defend their ultimate identities. In the novel “Stone Butch Blues,” by Leslie Feinberg, many trials and hardships challenge Jess Goldberg, one who struggles to fight for acceptance and pursues her identity. When Jess is a child, she recognizes that the society is based on binary gender, a system consisting of only two distinct, natural and opposite genders. Growing up makes her know that recognition
from others is valuable and worth fighting for. Jess has to make countless choices to resist the social pressure. Furthermore, she needs to sacrifice her family connection to gain her freedom. In the end, Feinberg proves that resistance to oppression does not only influence Jess’s ultimate identity, but also inspires others to pursue their own existences. When Jess is a young girl, she witnesses many mental oppression and violence from the society that she lives in. She knows she could not be appreciated even by her own family. Jess does not want to be different because it is too difficult for her to comprehend at a young age, expressing herself as to profess, “I longed to be everything grownups wanted, so they would love me” (13). This shows that Jess is frustrated by her family and the society that she is craving for acceptance. But the more her family pushes her to the way they want, the more Jess understands that she does not want to change, she just wants her parents to stop being mad at her. For instance, Jess lies to the doctor just to get out of the hospital, because she realizes that no one will understand and accept her. It distances Jess from her parents. She is not given the supports from her parents, and this is crucial because parents always play an irreplaceable role in the lives of children. This relationship affects the children’s physical and mental well-being. Therefore, Jess learns that she must be the one that her parents want in order to have their supports and love. However oppression does not occur only in the small society as the family, but also in a larger concept. When Jess is raped the first time in school, she also witnesses another unacceptable aspect of the society. “There were grass stains on my skirt and blood and slimy stuff running down my legs. ‘Get out of here, you little whore,’ Coach Moriarty ordered” (41). At that moment, Jess knows that as long as she is not the person who obeys the system, she will not have justice or anything to protect her. Later in the book, Jess observes many scenarios where she is not able to find a job when she is not passing as a man. All of these show the unjust and unacceptable standards of society. Moreover, they create a new definition for Jess about her future identity. It indicates who she is and the challenges she has to face. When Jess is old enough, she starts to recognize her true abilities.
Gloria, a co-worker at the printing shop, shows Jess an address of a gay bar in Niagara Falls. And from that moment, Jess starts to go to the bar regularly. It is all good and fun until the police comes and raids the bar. Jess and her friends are taken into custody. When she is raped by the cop, Jess starts to drift away in her own imagination. She chooses not to take part in the assault but to use her ability to protect herself from it. This proves to Jess that she is resilient to pursue her own identity. Further in the book, Jess becomes more independent when she works at the bindery. She has many concerns about the union and the working conditions of her friend. Duffy, a friend of Jess, helps her a lot. He tries to negotiate to improve the working conditions and wages, Duffy also starts the union to help the butches in the bindery as he “[kept] yelling at them that [you] were a human being, that you mattered, and it was like they weren’t listening” (93). Duffy supports Jess because he wants her to have the equality and the acceptance of society. Although Duffy knows that he could not change the way people think, but he does it just to help Jess. Together they demand the management to provide their needs by picketing during a strike. At that strike, Jan and three others are pulled over the barricades and thrown into the back of the police van. At that moment, Jess really begins to understand her true ability to resist. She asks Duffy and his men to help them out of the van. The people from the union start to surround the van and rock it. They demand the police that “‘Let them go! Let them go!’ An ashen-faced cop wearing gold bars whispered to the officers nearby. […] Just as fast as they’d been busted, the four were free.” At this moment, Jess comprehends the ability that she has, she can: asking people to unite together to achieve what they long for. This is important to Jess, because she
values more about herself that she can help others in need in the future. Later on, Jess finds herself unable to find a job because of her identity. She decides to contort herself to fit into the bindery system. Jess wants to have an income to support herself and her partner Theresa, so she starts to pass as a male. Jess seeks support from her partner, but Theresa could not accept it. Jess confesses to Theresa that
I’ve got to do something. I’ve been fighting to defend who I am all my life. I’m tired. I just don’t know how to go on anymore. This is the only way I can think of I can still be me and survive. I just don’t know any other way (148). At this point, Jess wants to do anything that she can to pursue her own happiness. Nonetheless, Theresa does not want to be a part of it. She is afraid of defining herself when she is no longer considered as femme when Jess passes as a male. So she leaves Jess to conform her personal interest alone. Although the relationship is important to Jess, the social acceptance is more valuable. But the more she conforms the standards, the more she pushes other people away from her. Jess feels that she is trapped between her old world and the new one. She discovers that passing does not mean slipping below the surface, it means she has to live with wounds and fears (173). Although she can pass as a man with no problems, Jess still finds it hard to trust others because she is scared. This is the trial that Jess must go through. She must understand that pursuing her identity is not running away from it. Furthermore, she is conformed to the social standards and she gains the acceptance, but she still finds that she is removed from her real world. In the end, Jess understands that she needs to value her own self, rather than trying to conform it to fit certain standards of the society. She stops using hormone because she needs to escape her loneliness which she is lost in as she confesses, “Loneliness had become an environment – the air I breathed, the spatial dimension in which I was trapped” (221). Jess mistakenly chooses a decision that changes her life forever. She thinks she could embrace the life she has been longing for, but ironically, she’s been shackled because of it. The outcome of stop using hormone is also the resistant to social pressure. As Jess accepts her ultimate identity, she also proves that conformity is not necessary if she accepts her own individual. In the end, Jess finally finds a happy ending for her. She finds a woman that accepts and understands her. Furthermore, Jess starts working with Duffy as an organizer. Jess has a power that she does not know yet, inspiring people with the same scenario as her. Jess realizes that she could help others that need helps like she once did.
Many people will argue that resistance to oppression by passing is dangerous. It is also important to acknowledge that Jess makes some mistakes as she resists the social standards. Nevertheless, we must recognize the truths that it is the right thing for people to resist the bindery gender. But more important, choosing the right way to resist has many advantages. For instance, when Jess realizes that she should stop taking hormone, she has won the oppression herself. Moreover, resistant by passing has many interests as Jess proclaims, “I didn’t regret the decision to take hormones. I wouldn’t have survived much longer without passing. And the surgery was a gift to myself, a coming home to my body” (224).
Jess has come a long way before she realizes the true value of her own ultimate identity. She tries to fit in the society that treats her like a leper. It is more important to notice that people have the right to resist the injustice of the society. It also considerable to not to conform one’s self to the social standards, but to embrace the person she is. It is not right to shape our behavior to match with the others. As Harvey Fierstein says, “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one 's definition of your life, but define yourself.”

Works Cited
Feinberg, Leslie. Stone Butch Blues: A Novel. Ithaca, NY: Firebrand, 1993. Print. 2 Mar. 2014.
Martin, George R. R. "Jon." A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam, 1996. 40-41. Print. 2 Mar.
2014.