Other Voices, Other Rooms Gender Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

On these dangerous evening patrols, Joel had witnessed many peculiar spectacles, […] most puzzling of all, two grown men standing in an ugly little room kissing each other. (1.2.124)

Because homosexual relationships were socially unacceptable throughout the United States in the early 20th century, gay men like the ones Joel saw had to take their relationships to private, safe spaces. This meant that kids like Joel would find two men kissing to be "puzzling"—it wasn't something they had seen in the mainstream culture.

Quote #8

As he puckered his lips to blow a smoke ring, the pattern of his talcumed face was suddenly complete: it seemed composed now of nothing but circles: though not fat, it was round as a coin, smooth and hairless; two discs of rough pink colored his cheeks, and his nose had a broken look, as if once punched by a strong angry fist; curly, very blond, his fine hair fell in childish yellow ringlets across his forehead, and his wide-set, womanly eyes were like sky-blue marbles. (1.4.20)

After discussing the queer lady in the window, we get this detailed description of Randolph's appearance that hits hard on his feminine attributes: powdered face, hairless, pink cheeks, childish ringlets, womanly eyes. The only detail that doesn't fit is his broken nose; perhaps he received it because his effeminate style was unacceptable to a violent person.

Quote #9

Over his pyjamas he wore a seersucker kimono with butterfly sleeves, and his plumpish feet were encased in a pair of tooled-leather sandals: his exposed toenails had a manicured gloss. Up close, he had a delicate lemon scent, and his hairless face looked not much older than Joel's. (1.4.59)

Here's some more description of Randolph's look, this time his attire. A kimono is a housecoat, but the butterfly sleeves do make it pretty dramatic and feminine. His manicured toenails and even the hairlessness of his face all show that his womanly features are deliberately cultivated, not just natural.