The word “Something,” always italicized, is often used as a vague stand-in for concrete terms, definitions, and descriptions surrounding Jack’s gender and body. Jack’s body is never described concretely, nor is his gender defined using definite terms that contemporary readers would expect to communicate identity. Jack’s Something is a source of distress and pain for him in the beginning of the novel. Jack does not understand his Something but knows that it makes him different and leads others to dislike him.

Jack initially fears his Something, which makes him comfortable with his abuse in Kneebone’s household (44). Jack believes that his Something is dangerous, like a “bomb” or a sleeping monster (44). Jack’s fear of his Something makes his miserable life in Kneebone’s house a shield against his inner thoughts that keeps him separated from his Something: If he has to live as a girl and deal with daily abuse, then he is too busy to think about his Something. Jack’s abuse is a refuge from his Something, which scares him more than Kneebone’s locks and poor treatment.

Jack’s relationship with his Something changes once he becomes a thief and reclaims his body and labor. When Jack lets Bess see him fully nude during sex for the first time, Bess tells Jack that he is “[a] wonderful, fetching Something” (118).