Housekeeping Discussion

Ruth and Sylvie's possible death and their crossing of the bridge was the largest part of our class discussion. Clearly you can debate their death and its significance for a long time but one point I highly disagreed with, I believe Rebecca brought it up is that, if Ruth didn't die and crossed over the bridge then she completed the female transition. The way I see it by leaving Fingerbone in the manner she did (with Sylvie, burning the house down, not telling anyone she was leaving), Ruth just played into what the society around her expected of her. Surprising no-one she acted in a strange fashion, and in the shadow of Sylvie, it is how everyone around her would expect her to depart. To complete the female transition a woman should do something or act in a way where any pre-conceived notions of her are destroyed and a new definition of who she is come through. If Ruth had become what she wanted to be in Fingerbone or left with more dignity then she would have completed the female transition, instead she stayed within her boundaries and didn't prove anything to anyone. By crossing over the bridge Ruth did not complete any transition she just confirmed people's beliefs of who she truly was, a follower.