March 23, 2009
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The change of clothes had, some philosophers will say, much to do with [the change in Orlando]. Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have…more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us. For example, when Captain Bartolus saw Orlando’s skirt, he [treated her like a woman]. These compliments would certainly not have been paid had her skirts…been… breeches. (Orlando, 187)
Thus, it was the male view and treatment of her that inspired Orlando to perform the female gender, rather than an actual difference in herself. The speaker echoes the power of being seen by others in Mark: “Suppose the looking glass smashes, the image disappears[;] the [self-perceived] figure…is there no longer, but only that shell of a person which is seen by other people…As we face each other…we are looking into the mirror” (Norton, 2084). In other words, our identities are formed in how we are seen – in a male world - which is certainly the case for Orlando.
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