Gracefully Grayson

Queer theory generally posits gender as performative. In other words, behavior is not dictated by gender. Rather, individuals learn how to behave through societal cues. This idea was first popularized by American philosopher Judith Butler in Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Femininity (1990). She posits “that one's learned performance of gendered behavior (what we commonly associate with femininity and masculinity) is an act of sorts, a performance, one that is imposed upon us by normative heterosexuality” (“Modules on Butler.” www.cla.purdue.edu).

As discussed, theater also has a long history of gender-bending, as male actors were known to play female roles in ancient Greece, and Shakespearian performances often involved female characters played by male actors who disguise themselves as men in the play.

In Gracefully Grayson, the transgender titular character uses theater as a way to experiment with her gender identity and expression. By playing the role of Persephone, Grayson is able to be perceived as female in a safe and affirming environment, and her distance from the character affords her a level of protection against potential negative reactions. In short, the role of Persephone enables Grayson to fully embrace her identity as a girl: “Ms. Landen helps me step into my golden gown for Act One. [And] I finally see myself the way I’m supposed to be—my inside self matched up with my outside self. And now, everyone else will finally see it, too” (179).

Persephone mirrors Grayson’s emotional journey and plays into the novel’s motif of Light and Darkness. Finn underlines the parallels between Grayson and Persephone when he first tells her about the play, which naturally leads the young girl to identify with the character: “In this version, Persephone is a girl who’s about your age. [...] The play is about how the seasons came to be, but it’s also the story of her struggle to return home” (58). The original Greek myth tells the story of Persephone, who is the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of harvests and fertility. She is abducted by Hades, the god of the dead, who keeps her prisoner in the Underworld. In Finn’s version, Demeter is so affected by Persephone’s abduction that she lets the crops die, so Zeus asks Hades to set Persephone free. They eventually reach an agreement for Persephone to spend “half the year in the Underworld, at which time no crops grow, and the other half of the year with her mother, during which time the world will be in full bloom” (61), thus giving rise to the seasons.

Grayson’s identification with Persephone is made especially evident during her audition (66-67), rehearsal (147), some of the rehearsals, and the play itself in Chapter 34. In each of these passages, the first-person narration starts from Grayson’s point of view and then seamlessly blends into Persephone’s perspective. The following quote exemplifies this narrative shift:

‘No.’ My voice is steady now, but I can sense Persephone’s longing.

‘I need to leave.’

‘I will bring you everything you want,’ Ms. Landen states. ‘Within reason, of course,’ she adds.

I look into Hades’s cold eyes. ‘My mother will figure out a way to come for me. Zeus will help her. Or I’ll figure out a way myself’ (67).

In this passage, Grayson first talks about herself (“my voice”) and Ms. Landen reading together in the school auditorium, before speaking as Persephone (“I look into Hades’s cold eyes”). Her slipping into Persephone’s voice signals that the lines between reality and performance are blurred. Most significantly, the narrative suggests that Grayson is more genuinely herself when she is acting as Persephone than when she is performing as a boy in her real life.

At the end, the play reveals that people’s perceptions about Grayson are changing through the same narrative technique. The chapter is narrated from the audience’s point of view through an all-encompassing “we” reminiscent of a Greek chorus, and describes Grayson first as “the boy [inside the costume]” (187). Then it shifts into adopting female pronouns to describe Persephone, and finally acknowledging Grayson—“the girl [who] curtsies. / Gracefully” (191).