Becoming Nicole: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Wyatt continues to assert his femininity and plays with Jonas less, worrying that his brother doesn’t accept him. Jonas, however, tells Dr. Holmes that he doesn’t mind that Wyatt dresses and acts like a girl; he’s just not interested in the same things as Wyatt.

Some of Wyatt’s most difficult moments involve sports, particularly because they involve changing and showering. Once, an older boy says something cruel to him in the shower. Wyatt tries to confront the boy, and Wayne has to pull the two kids away from each other. When Wyatt and Jonas join the Cub Scouts, many boys make fun of Wyatt’s feminine behavior and the parents don’t discipline their children for this.

Wayne is disappointed because he had loved the Scouts, and this serves as “one more reminder to Wayne that his family [is] different from everyone else’s.” He responds to these developments by taking late-night swims and chopping down trees: anything to avoid dealing with his feelings about Wyatt.

Wayne takes far more pleasure in doing “boy” things with Jonas, like Little League, but the irony is that Wyatt is more innately talented at sports. Jonas does not have the natural skills for Whiffle ball, but when Wyatt tries to hit the ball in a dress and heels, he hits four solid line drives. Instead, Jonas’s passion is his imagination and acting out stories. Thus, Jonas doesn’t quite fit the mold of other boys his age either. He is unsure of his own identity, though he is very sure of Wyatt’s. One day he tells his father, “Face it, Dad, you have a son and a daughter.”