Spatial References

Arbor Erecta takes place in New Guinea and the first piece of information that locates us in space is given in the title page, where in the second line of the reference to the content says “The narrative is fancifully explored as James fictitiously re-enacts the Papua New Guinea tribal initiation rites of bonding with a Pandanus tree”.

In the text we can find some references to the spatial aspect, for example, in chapter 1 “men commune secretly with trees” the author describes the pandanus genus, and makes some comparisons between these trees and human parts of the body and situates them in the space: “The pandans genus, a group of tropical trees of the Pandanaceae family, is found in the New Guinea Highlands”. In chapter 2 “ritual with trees develops male identity” it is possible that the author has understood that the female body of James Green is like a prison to himself and expresses this feeling introducing this sentence by James Green "Someone who holds comfortably their masculinity while in a female body, makes being in a male body more comfortable". Also the photographies that appear in this page set us where James Green spent his childhood (Oakland, California). In chapter 3 “pandanus dioecious: male / female separated” the author says “James could dress up and act like a boy, but she had to wear a dress to school”. With this sentence she sets us again in James Green’s childhood, at school, and there is a picture of James Green when he was a child dressed as Peter Pan, as what he wanted to be, a boy. In chapter 5 “a man must adapt to forest life” James Green finds himself in a stronger place, a man’s body. It is sure that he feels much better but he says that now he frightens women because of his loud voice and stronger body. "My anger is expressed the same as before - but now it frightens women because my voice is louder and my body stronger"-James Green. In chapter 6 “purification in the forest” there is a sentence of James Green that tells about the changes in his body due to the testerone and his feelings about it. Sonya Rapoport explains an anecdote of what happened when James Green entered in a determined place. “ As a female, he used public restrooms, women screamed and called for the police”. Chapter 8 “preparing the skin” situates us in society, where facial hair is important to seem a male. “Facial hair is one of society's key signifiers of maleness. To "change skins" is essential for the biological acquisition of a manly facial and bodily appearance.”

[Second Paper] [Introduction] [Sonya Rapoport] [James Green] [Spatial References] [Pandanus tree] [Conclusion] [Bibliography]

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