Breakfast on Pluto

Patrick Braden (also self-styled as Braden, Patrick-Puss, Pussy, Puss-Puss, Paddy-Pussy, and Mrs. Riley throughout the novel) is the protagonist, narrator, and central consciousness of Breakfast on Pluto. From an early age, Braden develops a sense of gender duality and expresses a desire to become a woman. This manifests externally in his donning of dresses and internally in his fantasies about a traditional family with a strong, male figure to protect and shelter him while he gives birth to and deeply loves many children. Although Braden’s desire to be a woman is evident in his actions and thoughts, throughout the novel, he uses both male and female pronouns to express his inner self, evidence of the powerful influence of the heteronormative culture in which he lives. The crucial aspect of Braden’s journey is his search for a resolution to this identity confusion. By the end of the narrative, Braden settles as Mrs. Riley, a middle-aged single woman. Even though this is far from Braden’s early fantasies of a lush, feminine life financed by powerful men, Mrs. Riley seems quietly satisfied, having found an acceptable place within a society that spurns people like her.