d checked shirt and her bricklayer style striped-denim peaked hat” (pp.16). Finally, when she found her way to England, she became Kat, “[the name Kat] was economical, street-feline, and pointed as a nail.” The short, hard name was a reflection of her hard demeanor. Kat constantly tried to separate herself from the commonality of her environment. When she was told that her tumor was fairly common her reply was that, “She would have preferred uniqueness.” Kat wanted to stand out; she did not want to be another “Clarissa, Meliassa or Penelope,” but she understood that conformity, to the values of her society, would be a requirement if she wanted to succeed in her personal and professional life. With this in mind, Kat chose to integrate those values into her own personal approach.She’d shaved off most of her hair, worked on the drop-dead stare, perfected a certain turn of the neck that conveyed an aloof inner authority. What you had to you had to make them believe was that you knew something they didn’t know yet. (p.17)As the conflict between Kat and her society, she finds herself losing the fight. Despite accolades she received while working on the razor’s edge, Kat’s life is less than successful. Her relationships with competitive men and left her broken and hurt. “Twice she had abortions, because the men in question were not up for the alternative” (pp.17). Kat’s choice to “Rambo” through her life left her scarred emotionally and physically. Having spent herself in London, Kat was ready for a change. When a man named Gerald came calling from Toronto, Kat saw the opportunity for change and grabbed it.When Gerald showed up in London offering Kat an attractive job and salary, she found it hard to resist. When Kat arrived back in Toronto and began working with Gerald, she found him hard to resist. The fact that Kat and Gerald were...
