Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Character Analysis in Middlesex

Zoë is Father Mike’s wife, Lefty and Desdemona’s second child, Milton’s sister, and Tessie’s cousin. She is not a particularly prominent character in the novel and is described as a “wallflower,” although Cal notes that he always liked her. She comes to regret marrying Father Mike and detests the life of a priest’s wife. When Father Mike is arrested for posing as a kidnapper and attempting to rob Milton, Zoë divorces him and moves to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, with Tessie.

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Quotes in Middlesex

The Middlesex quotes below are all either spoken by Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) or refer to Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”). 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:

My grandparents had every reason to believe that Sourmelina would keep their secret. She’d come to America with a secret of her own, a secret that would be guarded by our family until Sourmelina died in 1979, whereupon, like everyone’s secrets, it was posthumously declassified, so that people began to speak of “Sourmelina’s girlfriends.” A secret kept, in other words, only by the loosest definition, so that now—as I get ready to leak the information myself—I feel only a sight twinge of filial guilt.

Sourmelina’s secret (as Aunt Zo put it): “Lina was one of those women they named the island after.”

Related Characters: Cal/lie Stephanides (speaker), Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) (speaker), Eleutherios “Lefty” Stephanides, Desdemona Stephanides, Sourmelina Zizmo

Page Number and Citation: 85-86

Explanation and Analysis:

Lefty and Desdemona have successfully immigrated to the U.S. and have arrived in Detroit via train. There, Lefty greets their cousin, Sourmelina, and informs her that he has married Desdemona. In this quotation, Cal explains that Sourmelina was a closeted lesbian. During Sourmelina’s life, this remains a secret (although it seems like more of an open secret that something that was truly unknown). However, after Sourmelina’s death, people begin to discuss the truth of her sexual orientation. This quotation emphasizes the idea that secrets have a kind of force of their own, and will always eventually make themselves known. While 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 eaq

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Character Timeline in Middlesex

The timeline below shows where the character Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) appears in Middlesex. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...He is the assistant priest at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, and is married to Callie’s Aunt Zo . (full context)

...Father Mike had been engaged, but after Tessie married Milton instead, Mike married Tessie’s sister Zoë. Tessie knows that Father Mike will have heard about the thermometer, and feels annoyed. However,... (full context)

...Lefty and Desdemona’s extremely infrequent sexual encounters have led to the birth of another cousin, Zoë, whom Cal calls Aunt Zo. Desdemona once again spends her pregnancy petrified that the baby... (full context)

...promise to St. Christopher caused problems later on. At Milton and Tessie’s wedding, Michael approaches Zoë. Feeling sorry for him, Zoë suggests they go and get some cake. (full context)

Father Mike proposes to Zoë three times, and in 1949 she eventually agrees and marries him. In 1950 the Black... (full context)

...calls baptism “hocus pocus,” Desdemona starts dramatically fanning herself, and begs Milton to think of Zoë and Father Mike. When Milton hears that baptism is free, he reluctantly gives in. Assumption... (full context)

...as they behaved in a way that was “normal.” Out of the whole Stephanides family, Aunt Zo is the only one who expresses sympathy for the looters during the riot. (full context)

...is prudish and thus avoids discussing anything related to sex or the body. Thanks to Aunt Zo , Callie has a very vague understanding of what menstruation is, but doesn’t think it’s... (full context)

...profound, unconditional love for Callie, but worry that she will turn into a “wallflower” like Aunt Zo . Callie insists on growing her hair out long even after this ceases to be... (full context)

...Mike has a regal, commanding presence during church services. This is the opposite of Aunt Zoë, who becomes “meek.” Being a priest’s wife has been “even worse than Aunt Zo had... (full context)

Zoë and Mike’s children are named Aristotle, Socrates, Cleopatra, and Plato. Callie has always been fond... (full context)

Only Father Mike, Aunt Zo , and their children remain. Tessie is angry with Milton, and a fight erupts between... (full context)

...Mike. Milton is in a state of disbelief. He thinks about all the years when Zoë has asked why Father Mike wasn’t more like Milton, investing and saving money as Milton... (full context)

...imagining Mike disappearing into the unknown, “foreign” world of Canada. He is especially horrified on Zoë’s behalf, fuming at Mike for abandoning his sister. When Milton himself finally gets to the... (full context)

...hated. Father Mike does not officiate; he has been sentenced to two years in prison. Aunt Zo divorces him and moves to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, with Desdemona. Before long, Tessie joins... (full context)

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Character Analysis

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Quotes in Middlesex

Book 2: Henry Ford’s English-Language Melting Pot Quotes

Zoë Antoniou (“Aunt Zo”) Character Timeline in Middlesex