Pale Fire: Illustrated Sports Illustrated Sports Pale Fire Journal | Page 69

the interpretations there was the most clues pointing to Hazel identifying
as transgender. This would make her dress more masculine and take on a mascu-
line persona, that persona being Kinbote. Hazel is described at the “awkward
age” (44) and not as a beauty, but cute. Hazel being in the awkward age refers to
her questioning her gender. Hazel not being a beauty can be attributed to the
fact that she did not identify as female and wished to look more masculine. “She
twisted words: pot, top” (45). The way she twists words so that the letters are in
the opposite can be connected to how she views herself as the opposite gender.
“It does not matter what it was she read” (46). Hazel was an avid reader con-
stantly reading Latin text with help from her father or “reading in her bed-
room” (46). Kinbote is “passionately addicted to the study of literature” (76).
Kinbote becomes a professor at a university teaching literature. Clearly, both
have a very similar passion for literature. “People have thought she tried to cross
the lake” (50). Crossing the lake is seen as changing genders because Hazel is go-
ing from one side of the lake, female, to the other side of the lake, male.
“Others supposed she might have lost her way” (50). This refers to people judg-
ing her for being transgender because it was not widely accepted at the time.
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