#BUT Let Me In also changed Jonny's primary insult to Oskar/Owen from calling him a pig to calling him a little girl

[aidenwaites]

One of the most interesting moments in ltroi (book) in regards to queer themes is the yellow sundress?? Eli reveals that he isn't a girl to Oskar, he essentially shows him a memory of what happened to him so that he fully understands, and then Oskar tells him he can borrow something from a closet. Eli chooses a yellow sundress that belongs to Oskar's mother, says he chose it because it looked like an older piece of clothing/something that wouldn't be missed, and they don't talk about it again. Eli doesn't have a reason to dress feminine at this point, at least not around Oskar, but does.

There's just so many ways you could read it, I think. From that point on, the narrative treats and refers to Eli as a boy, (barring the POV of characters who see him in passing and assume he's a girl). Maybe he feels a disconnect to his own gender because of the trauma and mutilation he suffered. Maybe he doesn't care and feels its easier to be regarded as a girl. Maybe he's still trying to appeal to Oskar's sensibilities / be the thing that Oskar first assumed him to be. Maybe it's some mix of them all