Gender and Society
The central theme of this story is the expectations that are placed on human beings due to sex and gender. Through the figure of X, the story suggests that those typical gender expectations — pink is for girls and blue is for boys, sports are for boys and dolls are for girls, etc. — are not hardwired by nature, but invented by society. The story explores how gender is conditioned rather than innate, and how pressure to subscribe to a particular gender can confine people – especially children – and prevent them from fully experiencing all that life has to offer.
Gender and Commercialization
As the story explores the performativity of gender, it also suggests that a large part of the gender binary can be connected, almost inextricably, to commercialization and capitalist interests. The story details all the objects and articles of clothing that the Joneses purchase for X – including blue pajamas from the "boys" section of the store and flowery underwear from the "girls" section. X also plays with toys that defy gender conventions, enjoying both trucks and baby dolls. Through mentioning all these objects, the story implies that gender as society understands it is largely cultivated by commercialization and marketing. In other words, the gendering of particular clothes and toys stems not from any scientific understanding of how children develop but instead from financial interests of those in power.
Androgyny and Depth
When X goes to school, the Other Children are confused and curious about why X wears gender-neutral clothing and behaves in both traditionally "masculine" and "feminine" ways. X's favorite toy, for example, is a doll. But that doll is a robot that has been programmed to make brownies. These androgynous interests are what the scientists wanted to cultivate in X, as they tell the Joneses to make sure that X is "strong sweet and active" (109). What X ultimately represents is a child uninhibited by gender: one whose emotions and interests are not dictated by society but instead what they truly like and desire. As such, the experiment becomes an opportunity to see androgyny on display, and the story suggests that androgynous upbringings can lead to more interesting, complex individuals.
