Claudia Woods
Dr. Foss
5\/2\/19
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selene dePackh challenges people\u2019s understanding of autism through the formidable heroine Dax. Dax\u2019s autistic variance and individuality is set apart from autistic representations we are accustomed to seeing in media. Dax defies stereotypes of how we conceptualize autism\u2013and how we perceive gender and sexuality in autistic people\u2013through her androgynous and queer identity and her relationship with sex.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the opening of Troubleshooting, dePackh introduces the readers to Dax\u2019s queer and autistic identities. In this dystopian novel, Dax grows up in a world where people with disabilities are forcefully marked, sterilized, institutionalized, and \u2018healed\u2019 in torturous ways. Dax\u2019s story begins when she is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and inevitably branded with a blue puzzle piece to symbolize her autism. Dax\u2019s mother is drowned in her desire to find a \u201ccure\u201d for Dax, forcing Dax into \u201ctreatments\u201d which really consists of \u201cchelation injections, pills that cause fevers, vomiting, and brain stimulation\u201d (dePackh 17). Dax is reduced to an object, solely defined by her diagnoses. Because her autism marks both the beginning and the end of her humanity, Dax is not seen as a human. She is often berated with nicknames such as \u201csmall-stuff\u201d \u201cgirly\u201d and \u201clittle girl\u201d even though she is both surprisingly strong and rejects anything that could encompass femininity. Most importantly, Dax is nameless. Her name\u2013possibly the core of her identity\u2013is repeatedly changed throughout the novel from Sophia, to Archer, to Dakini, and finally to Dax. Despite the discrimination Dax faces throughout her adolescence and adulthood, she still significantly deviates from usual representations of autism. This variation accurately portrays autism in that no two autistic people are exactly alike, but rather they vary tremendously. Dax struggles with accepting how other people view her and her autism: they believe her to be either too functional to be autistic or too slow to be human. She finds motivation in the hatred she experiences to change the world\u2019s ableist perception of her. From a young age, Dax is a target for violence because of her autistic identity; however, unlike her autistic peers she refuses to accept this hatred in girly passivity. Dax\u2019s self-love manifests itself in physically aggressive ways. Dax confesses that \u201ckids on the autistic spectrum draw bullies like flies to roadkill, but I fought back. I was beaten up harder for it, but I could look at myself in the mirror without shame\u201d (dePackh 2). Dax does not feel shame or self hatred for her autism; rather Dax finds power in knowing that she did not accept this hatred from anyone.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One way in which Dax stands apart from other autistic individuals is her direct eye contact with people. Dax receives her first nickname, Archer, as a young child for scrutinizing people\u2019s faces \u201cas if they were under a microscope\u201d (dePackh 2). She finds solace in being a \u2018bad\u2019 autistic. By diverting from stereotypical expectations, Dax is able to reclaim her autistic identity. She declares, \u201cI\u2019m autistic, but I don\u2019t look down and away like a good autistic, I stare\u201d (dePackh 3).
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, Dax also experiences horizontal ableism from other people with disabilities\u2013even her own friend, Chill. Chill accuses Dax of not being like \u201cother autistics\u201d but Dax refuses \u201cto be categorized without a fight\u2026\u201d (dePackh 2). Dax doesn\u2019t struggle with her Autism, she struggles with how other people perceive her Autism. She struggles with the compulsion that she must effectively change the way other people view and treat her. Whether these expectations stem from genuine or hurtful places, Dax deals with both.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dax is used to being underestimated by others, but she experiences the opposite with Petra. After Petra, Dax\u2019s lover and advisor accuses Dax of \u201cforging her identity,\u201d Dax is quick to defend her autistic identity, \u201cI\u2019m autistic as hell, actually, test out more severe than a lot who don\u2019t talk. \u2018Mild\u2019 autism isn\u2019t how I experience being autistic, it\u2019s how you experience my being autistic\u201d (dePackh 78-79). Dax ferociously holds onto and defends her own understanding of her autism. Despite neurotypical people explaining to her what autism is and how it should be experienced, she never loses touch with her own conception and experience of her autism. Despite Dax\u2019s vulnerable identities, she emerges from the beginning as an untouchable force that cannot and will not be defined nor measured by others.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Dax varies from the typical representation of autistic people, she also rejects femininity and its gender roles. Dax rejects femininity in her presentation, her friendships and romantic relationships, and her spunky aggression. Dax proudly professes, \u201cMy sexual wiring was in place, and the touch of androgyny from the surgery didn\u2019t necessarily hurt an edgy attractiveness\u201d (dePackh 33). Dax\u2019s androgynous appearance \u2013 with her shaved hair and hatred for the color pink \u2013 and queer identity sets her apart from other female characters. Dax never pretends to be someone she is not. Reflecting on her childhood, she recounts: \u201cNo matter how many disgusting pink dresses my mother tried to keep me in, I never wanted to be the princess; I wanted to be the one who won her\u201d (dePackh 18). As a young girl, Dax understood her queerness and harnessed her sexuality. Dax takes on a role within lesbian relationships as sexually dominant. However, autistic individuals are rarely seen as \u201cdesiring subjects or objects of desire\u2026 And when sex and disability are linked in contemporary American cultures, the sexuality of disabled people is typically depicted in terms of tragic deficiency\u201d (Mollow, Mcruer 1). Representation of sexuality in autistic people, like Mollow and Mcruer suggest, autistic people are represented as asexual and inexperienced. Dax\u2019s character defies these narrow-minded and inaccurate portrayals, redefining what it means to be an autistic person and a sexual being. Often dePakch challenges this asexual expectation of autistic individuals and gives readers an autistic character with not only sexual desires but queer sexual desires. As dePackh is suggesting, individuals with ASD have sexual needs and desires, are interested in romantic relationships, and have similar experiences and behaviors just like neurotypical people (Dekker 2017). dePackh\u2019s scenes even border on pornographic at times, in Dax\u2019s sexual encounters with Petra. Dax initiates their first sexual relation quite dominantly. Right before consensually jumping on Petra, Dax reflects, \u201cI kissed her before I knew what I was doing, but I knew exactly what I was doing when I slid my hand down\u2026\u201d (dePackh 82). This incredible sexual desire surpasses all expectations of autistics. In dePakh\u2019s representation of Dax, she provides a new, more encompassing depiction of autism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This kind of linguistic awareness provides the groundwork for new understandings of people with disabilities as fully human. It follows from that theory that people with autism are empowered by constructions of their identity are that individualized, affirming of difference, reinforcing of personal dignity, and dynamically interpreted in the context of everyday living situations (Bumiller, 971). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By writing a queer, autistic character like Dax, dePakh is challenging societies representations of autistic people and redefining gender and queerness as they relate to autism. This reclamation has the ability to broaden neurotypical people\u2019s perceptions of autistic individuals and empower the identities of autistic people. Although Dax\u2019s identity as a queer, autistic woman is repeatedly targeted throughout Troubleshooting, by presenting herself androgynously, exhibiting behaviors unlike autistic stereotypes, physically defending herself, and engaging in queer, sexual relationships, she reclaims her vulnerabilities and redefines what it means to be Dax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Word Count: 1233
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Works Cited
Bumiller, Kristin. \u201cQuirky Citizens: Autism, Gender, and Reimagining Disability.\u201d The University of Chicago Press Journals, vol. 33, no. 4, 2008, pp. 967-991. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dekker, Linda P et al. \u201cPsychosexual Functioning of Cognitively-able Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Typically Developing Peers: The Development and Testing of the Teen Transition Inventory- a Self- and Parent Report Questionnaire on Psychosexual Functioning.\u201d Journal of autism and developmental disorders, vol. 47, no. 6, 2017, pp. 1716-1738.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dePackh, Selene. Troubleshooting: Glitch in the System. San Francisco: Reclamation Press, 2018.
\nKafer, Alison. \u201cFeminist, Queer, Crip: Imagined Futures.\u201d 2012, pp. 1-17. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Claudia Woods Dr. Foss 5\/2\/19 Selene dePackh challenges people\u2019s understanding of autism through the formidable heroine Dax. Dax\u2019s autistic variance and individuality is set apart from autistic representations we are accustomed to seeing in media. Dax defies stereotypes of how we conceptualize autism\u2013and how we perceive gender and sexuality in autistic people\u2013through her androgynous and … Continue reading “Claudia’s Finally Essay: A Deviant Representation of Autism in dePackh’s Novel Troubleshooting”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papJgd-oQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1541,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions\/1541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}