The Obscure Object Character Analysis in Middlesex

The Obscure Object is a girl who attends Baker & Inglis with Callie and is also in Mr. da Silva’s advanced English class. (Her name is a nickname Callie chose for her in order to preserve her privacy in the narrative.) She is beautiful, slender, and covered in freckles, and comes from a wealthy WASP family. At school, she ignores Callie, but after they are cast in a production of Antigone together they become friends. Their friendship is very intimate, and escalates quickly. Callie ends up coming on vacation with the Obscure Object’s family to Petoskey. During this trip, after both girls hook up with boys, they start having sex with each other. When the Object’s brother, Jerome, catches them having sex and Callie gets hit by a tractor while running away from him, the Object takes Callie to the hospital, holding her in her lap and kissing her. After this incident (which leads to Cal discovering he is intersex, undergoing gender transition, and running away to San Francisco), the two lovers never see each other again.

The Obscure Object Quotes in Middlesex

The Middlesex quotes below are all either spoken by The Obscure Object or refer to The Obscure Object. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Some people inherit houses; others paintings or highly insured violin bows. Still others get a Japanese tansu or a famous name. I got a recessive gene on my fifth chromosome and some very rare family jewels indeed.

Related Characters: Cal/lie Stephanides (speaker), The Obscure Object

Related Symbols: The Recessive Gene

Page Number and Citation: 401

Explanation and Analysis:

While on vacation with the Obscure Object and her family in Petoskey, Callie’s relationship with the Object turned sexual. During this vacation, Callie is struck by a tractor and rushed to hospital, where the doctors discover she is intersex. In the beginning of the next section of the novel, Callie explains that the most distinctive thing about her is the result of a “recessive gene on [her] fifth chromosome.” This quotation establishes the link between genetic status and other forms of inheritance. As Cal indicates, all inheritance—whether biological, cultural, or material—plays a role in determining a person’s fate. In fact, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Ten

The Obscure Object Character Timeline in Middlesex

The timeline below shows where the character The Obscure Object appears in Middlesex. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Migration, Ethnicity, and the American Dream Theme Icon

...his intersex condition to women he dates remains a problem. However, back when he met the Obscure Object , he was still in “blissful ignorance.” (full context)

...Obscure of Object of Desire. From now on, Cal will refer to the girl as the Obscure Object both out of sentimentality and to protect her privacy. One day, when Mr. da Silva... (full context)

Callie finds her feelings about the Obscure Object to be both normal and not. It is considered “perfectly acceptable” for girls to have... (full context)

Ancestry, Inheritance, and Fate Theme Icon

...everyone in Advanced English gets a major role, where the rest are in the chorus. The Obscure Object is cast as Antigone, and Callie plays Tiresias. Callie is thrilled by the chance to... (full context)

The Obscure Object becomes surprisingly enthusiastic about the play, suggesting that the actors memorize their lines instead of... (full context)

Callie goes back to the Obscure Object ’s house to rehearse lines again. They lie in sun room while the Object smokes... (full context)

...Milton—looking like “the captain of a cruise ship”—and Tessie. Before the play begins, Callie tells the Obscure Object not to worry, assuring her that she’s a good actress. The Object snaps in return... (full context)

...have to appear for a while. Maxine’s first line comes, but she doesn’t say it. The Object repeats her line, and Maxine still says nothing. She has had an aneurysm. Hettie Grossinger... (full context)

...“ladies’ doctor,” Dr. Bauer. Callie protests. It is summer, and Tessie is driving her to the Obscure Object ’s house. Two weeks have passed since Maxine’s sudden death. Milton and Tessie are preparing... (full context)

The Object suffers from chronic heartburn, and is surprised to learn that Callie has never had it.... (full context)

A boy comes over and shakes his wet hair so that Callie and the Obscure Object are covered in cold droplets. The Object introduces him as her brother, Jerome. He has... (full context)

The Obscure Object invites Callie to sleep over. Callie pretends to be unsure because she doesn’t have her... (full context)

While Callie does so, she asks if the Object has ever been to the gynecologist; the Object says she has, and that it’s horrible.... (full context)

...possibly come to church considering she doesn’t have to. Back in Grosse Pointe, Callie and the Obscure Object go to a party. On the way, the Object asks Callie to check if her... (full context)

...a boy who accidentally killed his girlfriend in a drunk driving accident. He gazes at the Obscure Object , then moves toward her, leaving Callie alone with Jerome. Jerome says that he is... (full context)

...that Dr. Bauer doesn’t find anything wrong with her, that she remains “just friends” with the Obscure Object , and that Chapter Eleven returns to college. Tessie notices that Callie looks pale. At... (full context)

...Callie isn’t very interested in the war. While the men continue to fight, she calls the Object , telling her that the war means her vacation is cancelled. Callie also informs the... (full context)

...periods. With the vacation to Turkey out of the way, she is able to join the Object ’s family in Petoskey. Milton is consumed by the Watergate Scandal, as well as the... (full context)

...drives Callie to Petoskey, drinking canned Smirnoff cocktails on the way. Mrs. Object, Jerome, and the Obscure Object are already there—as is Rex Reese, whose parents also have a house in the area.... (full context)

...story about his friends throwing up from drinking—“It was like the Niagara Falls of puke”—while the Obscure Object giggles enthusiastically. When she sees Callie, she greets her mildly. Rex suggests that they grab... (full context)

...is a crash, and Rex emerges through the door, dangling a mouse in front of the Object , who screams and grabs ahold of Callie. Callie suggests that they go back to... (full context)

After, Jerome and Callie shotgun as well. Rex whispers something to the Obscure Object , then kisses her. Callie pretends not to see. She and Jerome talk about how... (full context)

...(in case he feels the tissues she stuffed in her bra), Callie experiences herself touching the Obscure Object ’s breasts as Rex is doing. Just as Callie is becoming aware of how drunk... (full context)

...back at the house, feeling nauseous and disturbed by the previous night’s events. She finds the Obscure Object in the kitchen, eating breakfast. Before long, the Object accuses Callie of being a “slut”... (full context)

...stands gazing at the lake and watches as Rex drives past on a speedboat, with the Obscure Object standing beside him. They do not come back for dinner, and neither does Jerome, so... (full context)

Eventually, Callie hears the Object arrive back in the bedroom and climb into the other side of the bed. Callie... (full context)

Neither Callie nor the Obscure Object talk about what happened the next day. As talented an actress as ever, the Object... (full context)

In the dark with the Obscure Object , Callie finds herself in a “fugue state.” She points out that this isn’t uncommon,... (full context)

The following Thursday, Callie and the Obscure Object lie on the porch swing together. The Object observes that Callie understands her completely, and... (full context)

Callie wakes up in the back of a car. She is lying in the Obscure Object ’s lap; the Object keeps urging the driver to “hurry.” The driver is the same... (full context)

...asks if Callie is attracted to her. Callie tells him that she had sex with the Obscure Object ’s brother. Every day, Luce asks more questions, making note not only of Callie’s answers... (full context)

Callie has trouble sleeping, consumed by grief over her separation from the Obscure Object . The period she spends in New York is traumatic, and will impact her for... (full context)

...Cal is stunned by how masculine he looks. The first thing he thinks of is the Obscure Object , and he is briefly overcome with heartbreak. Leaving the barbershop, Cal reasons that he... (full context)

The Obscure Object Character Analysis

The Obscure Object Quotes in Middlesex

Book 4: The Oracular Vulva Quotes

The Obscure Object Character Timeline in Middlesex