In deciding what gender to adopt, it is Villanelle who makes the rules of the “game”, it is a female figure in control. Villanelle also dresses as a boy when working at the casino: “It was part of the game, trying to decide which sex was hidden behind tight breeches and extravagant face-paste” (p. Possession of a male physical feature is an indication that Villanelle will not conform to female stereotypes. It seems appropriate that Villanelle is born into a male-free environment which is somewhat counteracted by her webbed feet, a characteristic unique to male Venetians. Villanelle is a character who does not conform to gender stereotypes. Villanelle’s identity is an important design towards the feminism portrayed by Winterson throughout the novel. The Passion can be seen as a feminist novel through Winterson’s cleverness of gender stereotypes/gender roles, lesbianism, and patriarchal opposition symbolized through the main character Villanelle. This “indefinite” identity of women is something Winterson explores in her novel. In Jeanette Winterson’s novel “The Passion,” she not only illustrates the patriarchal framework of society, she also provides a female that transcends this system.
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