54 pages • 1 hour read
Neil GaimanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Sandman takes several opportunities to explore the fluidity of gender and the choice inherent in gender identity. The clearest example of this is Desire, a genderfluid character who can appear as male, female, or non-binary. Their personality doesn’t change with their gender, and they are always a personification of intense desire. Desire is never questioned for their gender choices but addressed by name or neutral pronouns. The other Endless refer to Desire as “Sister-Brother.” This is an effective narrative choice because it shows that the nature of desire transcends gender. Unlike many non-binary, genderfluid, or transgender characters in literature who are shown at a disadvantage, Desire is empowered by their ability to move freely between gender identities.
Other characters who are defined by their gender identities are Hal and Wanda. Hal is a drag queen who generally identifies as male but dresses as a woman to perform and takes on the name Dolly. In contrast to Desire and Wanda, he accepts two distinctive core identities. Wanda appears later as a transgender woman who has completely thrown off her previous male identity and settled on one truth. She is confident in her self-knowledge; however, lines are drawn between her and the other women when she’s unable to take part in the drawing down the moon ritual with Thessaly and the others.
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