Female subjectivity is an important theme in Acker's novel Blood and Guts in High School. The subjectivity that Janey, the protagonist, observes and experiences, consciously and unconsciously, plays an important role in how she identifies herself and characterizes others around her. Janey is introduced in the novel as a 10-year-old girl, and the reader is allowed to follow her until her death at the age of 14. Thus the reader sees how her young, impressionable mind becomes corrupted over time and how these experiences and observations not only rob her of an innocent youth but ultimately control her. Janey's happiness and existence depend on her relationships with men. It is important to first note that Janey's mother died when she was only one year old, so throughout the novel Janey does not have a solid maternal figure in her life. Janey and her father, Johnny, are involved in an incestuous relationship. Aside from their mysterious sexual relationship, Janey is known to identify her father as brother, sister, money, fun, and finally, her father. From the beginning of his life...