I am having difficulty deciding which pronouns to use.
I need help. I have a story of a boy thats grade school age, but he’s girlish to a extreme. He even has a girls shape and nature but refuses to admit it to himself. He has his reasons and it will be clear when I write and post it. But the problem is, he and his mother refer to him as a boy.
He has an insulting and mean teacher that sees his feminine nature and refuses to call him anything but a girl. My question is, Is it ok to use two gender pronouns in the same story. In one chapter, when I am narrating it from his mother or his POV it is OK to refer to him as 'Him."
In the very next chapter if I’m narrating it from the teachers POV to refer to the boy student as a Girl and HER
Comments
I would say yes
If you are using third person limited POV or a shifting first person narrative, it would certainly be permissible to use alternating pronouns, and in fact I would even say necessary. Since both of these perspectives are from the POV of an individual, such things as pronoun use in the narrative should reflect their view of events.
On another tangent, in regards to the teacher, I think you need to be careful, however. If the protagonist, however feminine in appearance, identifies as male, and a teacher persists in referring to 'him' as 'her' publicly, that teacher would quickly find him or herself at the very least being seriously reprimanded if the student or parent complained. Continuing in such behavior would almost certainly lead to serious disciplinary measures, which would probably end in dismissal if they didn't adjust their attitude.
Scott
-- Moliere
Bree
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
-- Tom Clancy
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POV
On a more technical note, you may want to consider what perspective you do use to tell this story very carefully. Once you do decide, you may find that point of view dictates the pronouns you use. The fact that there is pronoun confusion at all suggests you don't have a definite idea of perspective and this lack of confidence from the narrator will not give you the best foundation for your work. In the long term... what benefit does a changing perspective give your story? Is there a way to do the same without ever changing perspective?
If the individual's current status is clear use proper pronoun
RAMI
As you describe your story, it is proper for the mom to refer to her son, and use he, him and his. It that context he is a boy.
When in school, if the teacher actually believes the student is a girl, then when the teacher is addressing the student, or talking about that child, the use of she and her would be proper.
The problem you might have, is how to describe your protagonist, while in the classroom, when writing descriptive language, rather then communicative language. In that case since the child is, at least at this point in your story, a boy, male pronouns or if possible neutral pronouns such as their's or using the child's name (see I did not use his name) should be used. If your writing is clear as to whom you are referring to, then there should be no problem, interchanging pronouns.
Another issue is, how does your protagonist view themself (a neutral pronoun)?
A greater problem exists in stories such as Anistasia Allread's "The Princess and the Plague". How does one describe, Eric/Erika/Eric/a? We know that Eric is a male, who appears that way much of the time. However, sometimes, (here is the problem), he or is it she appears as Erika, and at least in his or should it be her interaction with one of his friends are they boyfriend and girlfriend or two girlfriends or whatever. The question in that story is also self identity. When I write comments about that story, it sometimes gets confusing especially when there is an on going debate in the story as to his or should it be her true identity.
RAMI
yep
Well using he, and him isnt really undermining his/her identity.... he sees himself as a guy... so he is fine... and the teacher bullies him by calling him a girl... not a problem in my book. write it and lets see!
No right or wrong way on pronouns
There is no "right" or "wrong" way, I think. The most important point is not to confuse the reader. My rule of thumb is that as long as my protagonist (like your girly boy) identifies publicly as a male, it is "he" or "him." At the point where our young person begins living publicly as a girl, then it becomes "she" or "her."
That's my policy. Katherine
Nothing wrong with that mew ^^
If he identifies as a boy, nothing wrong with that mew, a girly boy that has a girlish nature? Awesome! I'd totally date a guy like that ^^ Anyway I think how you wrote it makes sense mew, use the pronouns that the POV would use. Like with that teacher use her, but when you're using the POV of the boy, have it be boy. It's all about how he identifies after all ^^ I say go for it, I'm looking forward to seeing it on here mew, good luck ^^
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I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Bisexual, transsexual, girlie girl, princess, furry that writes horror stories and proud ^^
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
thanks
thank you Chelsie and everyone else. Yeah, For the question about why I change POV's, well I wanted to show how the woman teacher feels and her attitudes, I also wanted to show what a wicked JERK and B%$#@ she is.
his/her
So long as you make it plain we're talking about the same person... it is okay.
nobody
It's okay, BUT....
Don't piss off the gender police!
(Actually, I think if *you're* writing it... *you* get to call an extreme cage fighter "she" if you want.)
Michelle
P.S. Especially if he *is* a she. ;-)