Characterization of the boy

The main character of the short story “Through the Wardrobe” by Lucy Caldwell is an unnamed boy who identifies as female.

The boy has “too many older sisters” and lives with them and their parents. The narrative suggests that the boy is a source of tension between his mother and father, who often have arguments about the boy’s attitude: “He’s just sensitive, your mum says. He’s too bloody sensitive, says your dad. And no wonder, this house is like living in a witches’ coven”. 

From the beginning of the story, we notice that the boy is attracted to things generally made to cater for girls. When his mother takes him to a store, he instantly becomes attached to a Belle dress:

But the Belle dress is the most beautiful thing you’ve seen. It has frothy pink straps and a velvet rose in the centre of the chest; its tight bodice billows into a full skirt, gathered at the front with six pink bows. The Belle dress is a bright shimmery yellow, and in the soft light it looks like gold. You know how it would feel to dance in that dress: it would feel like being wrapped in a sunbeam. It would be impossible to be sad in that dress.

Across the years, the Belle dress stays in the back of the boy’s mind....