In the reading Gender Trouble by Judith Butler, Butler states that “…the construction of the gendered body through a series of exclusions and denials, signifying (signify) absences” (Butler, 135). In other words, gender can be defined by characteristics that people don’t have instead of characteristics that people do have. For example, facial hair is normally associated with men, so if someone doesn’t have a beard then they are constructed to be feminine. For me, Butler makes this confusing by identifying gender in terms of what people don’t have instead of what they do have.
In the novel Cereus Blooms at Night gender is constantly being performed and constructed by choices of appearance. For example, when Tyler puts on the dress for Miss Ramchandin he says, “I have never felt so ordinary, and I quite loved it” (Mootoo, 78). In this way, Tyler is constructed as his queer, gay self who feels typical in society with a dress on. However, when Tyler doesn’t wear the dress he is seen as masculine by his employers (nurses) since they make him wear pants like the other male workers. Gender is identified by what Tyler doesn’t wear according to Butler.
In addition, according to Tyler, before Mala, Nana “… was the only person who had ever truly…accepted me (Tyler) and my girlish ways” (Mootoo, 71). Mala and Nana see Tyler as feminine even without the dress but according to society appearance determines gender. His choice of clothing performs his identity, to wear a dress or not. Therefor, because his identity is performed his identity is also fabricated. Society sees his gender as masculine without the dress and feminine with the dress showing that we live in a heteronormative world wear dresses are considered to be feminine. Society shapes this fabrication, which in turn assigns a specific gender to individuals making these people declare things/objects as feminine or masculine adding to societies fabrication. It is an endless circle, which feeds the idea that if identity is performed it is fabricated.