In the novel Member of the Wedding, by Carson McCullers, the story of young Frankie Addams is told as she begins to navigate the world, documenting from her perspective, her exposure to the harsh realities of the world as she begins to transform into a young woman. The time period from which the novel comes was characterized by divisions, including racial and gender discrimination, as well as strong marginalization on the basis of sexuality. Through the technique of characterization, McCullers highlights the effect of these social constructs in creating a divisive society that ultimately marginalized its people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through the characterization of John Henry, McCullers highlights the divisive nature of gender binaries and gender identity. John Henry is described "[wearing] a dress of jonquil" (McCullers124). The use of the word daffodil, which is a yellow perennial flower, describes the femininity of its character, as the flowers are typically associated with feminine characteristics. Furthermore, the way he wears the suit reinforces the effeminate gender identity attributed to John Henry. There are clear character similarities to Lily Mae Jenkins, particularly in her choice of women's clothing. Lily, a boy who had changed sex after falling in love with a man named Juney Jones, is described "walking around in a pink satin blouse with her arm on her hips" (81). The pink satin blouse that Lily Mae wears depicts her delicate femininity and obvious defiance of social constructs during the time period, as it was not typical of a man to associate himself with feminine characteristics or cross-gender constructs. In the case of Lily Mae Jenkin, her character is ostracized, as exemplified by Berenice's comment in which she bluntly states, "You don't need to know Lily Mae Jenkins" (81) as if she were unworthy of being known. Likewise, John Henry appears to be isolated. In his physical description, it is revealed that "he had the biggest knees Frankie had ever seen, and there was always a scab or bandage on one of them where he had fallen and scraped himself" (McCullers 4). Because of his imperfect physicality, including the scabs and bruises typically associated with children, John Henry is credited with having an awkward and childish adolescence. It appears, through this description, that she possesses a lack of comfort in his physical body and appearance, alluding to his qualities that ultimately ostracized him from the rest of society. In contrast to the feminine qualities attributed to John Henry and Lily Mae Jenkins, Frankie takes on more masculine characteristics. She is described as having “brown scabbing on her elbows” (90). Since it was considered normal at that time for girls to be clean and stay indoors, Frankie evidently overcomes gender constructs. Similar to John Henry, she feels ostracized and seeks refuge under the protection of her brother and his fiancée to compensate for the fact that she cannot find a place in her own life. This division is further exemplified within the House of Freaks. Inside was a "half man, half woman", a morphite. This Freak is completely split in half: the left side is a man and the right side is a woman” (20). There is clear marginalization on the basis of gender, as the division between the left and right sides indicates a clear division caused by gender identity. Furthermore, the morphite is ostracized by society due to his defiance of social constructs, which is evident by the fact that the person is defined as a Freak, lacking any identity of his own. Throughcreating the character Berenice, McCullers highlights the divisive effects of racial discrimination in that time period. In her brief physical description, she is described as having "something wrong...her left eye was bright blue glass [while]...her right eye was dark and sad" (5). The blue color of the glass eye is associated with stability. However, this stability is simply an illusion, as exemplified by the fact that the glass eye is artificial and she merely wears it as a scar from wounds inflicted by her previous husband. The juxtaposition of the color of his blue glass eye with his dark, sad right eye indicates a rift in his physical appearance and, metaphorically, his cultural identity. The artificial glass eye gives the illusion of stability and confidence, signifying her tolerance of being ostracized by a predominantly white and discriminatory society. However, beneath this facade, he seems to harbor a much deeper pain and passion for his cultural identity, stating that “they have drawn completely additional boundaries around all people of color. They practically backed us into a corner by themselves” (119). It is clear from this passage that Berenice is ostracized. Trapped by borders that imprisoned people of color, Berenice paints a very clear divide based on cultural identity and race. The marginalization caused by racial discrimination is further exemplified by the description of the House of Freaks. Inside the House of Freaks, the "Wild Negro slammed the mouse's head over his crouching knee and tore off its fur, munched, swallowed and flashed his greedy Wild Negro eyes" (20) . The man is characterized very disparagingly, as indicated by the fact that he eats the head of a mouse and thus embodies the qualities of a wild animal. These qualities are attributed to the population of blacks, as the word nigger typically applied to all blacks during the time period. Furthermore, the racial marginalization during that time period is exemplified by the fact that the man is exposed in the House of the Freaks simply on the basis of his racial identity, therefore suggesting that all African Americans embody these same qualities. Finally, through In the relationship between the soldier and Frankie, McCullers highlights the effects of sexuality in contributing to Frankie's understanding of immorality and evil. Frankie's sexual development appears to stem from her desire to become an adult. This is exemplified by the fact that she marvels at the idea of ​​going on a "date, an adult word used by older girls" (74). However, when confronted with her first real sexual experience with the soldier, the room she is lured into is described as having "a glass jug full of water and a half-eaten package of cinnamon rolls covered in blue icing and fat flies " (135). ). The description of cinnamon rolls, which are typically associated with warmth and sweetness, are representative of Frankie's naive and innocent perception of sex, which seems to relate more to her desire for maturity and acceptance. Additionally, the blue icing, a color often associated with maturity and stability, symbolizes his desire for maturity. However, this depiction of sweetness and warmth is juxtaposed with the rot and decay associated with flies. This symbolizes his realization of the true nature of sex, which seems to fall short of the ideas he had conjured up to reach maturity and thus be accepted. Furthermore, his stark realization of the true nature of sex is exemplified by the description of the soldier inviting Frankie into his room, where "the,.