We perform gender because it is something cultural and we also copy what the society establishes, because it is supposed to be correct and natural. It is an effect of culture and of the human being. We also need to categorise individuals and determine their gender identity. As Butler argues, "Gender is constructed (.)" (8) and this is exactly what Winterson wants to deconstruct. The story is told by a genderless and outsider narrator, since we do not know any trait of him or her, and also we cannot enter the issue of cliches of gender identity. The author refuses to categorise this narrative voice in a specific gender. Through this ambiguity, she forces to establish the position of the reader in the novel and how Western tradition and cliches influence the human mind. As Winterson says "Why do human beings need answers? (.)" (Winterson, 12) Although there are comments in the novel that may lead us to think that the narrator is male (for example when the narrator describes in detail the body of Louise), but there are others, as when the narrator says that he or she has a boyfriend, then the readers are confused. The reader looks for an evidence in order to determine if the narrator is female or male, which we will never know. Apparently, the narrator is attracted to individuals of any gender or sexual identity. This idea of a narrator without being categorised into one gender or the other reinforces the idea of gender as a social construction and the human need of categorising each and everything. .
The idea of gender as a social construction is represented through the character of Louise too. This character shows the typical stereotype of feminine and she also, represents the heroine of the story. For instance, in the moment that Louise's menstrual cycle is described. In the first part of the novel, Louise is idealized by the narrator in terms of physical appearance and mind.
