The Snapfish Mug
In the first third of the book, Nelson shares that her mother bought a mug on Snapfish with a photo of Nelson, her mother, Harry, and Harry's son posing for a Christmas photo. Nelson's friend comments how "heteronormative" the photo is, which Nelson deconstructs over the course of several pages. How could her family, the antithesis of a classically heterosexual couple, be heteronormative? Is it that they are partaking in a traditionally capitalist ritual of Christmas celebration? Ultimately, Nelson's family is anything but heteronormative, but that may not mean they cannot act heteronormatively.
The Irony of Iggy
Iggy, Nelson's son, plays a central role in the book yet we never hear his own voice. Nelson spends much of The Argonauts describing Iggy, his journey to life, and his effects on Nelson and the family. However, we never really learn what Iggy is like—he is too young to speak, yet alone to write, when the book is published. Nelson discusses her focus on Iggy in the book, questioning whether she has a right to write about him without his consent. However, she ultimately decides that she does, in fact, have a right to incorporate Iggy into the book: she is his mother, and her experiences are the ones she records, not his.
The Irony of Pronouns
Nelson explains in her book that her partner, Harry, does not identify himself as a man or a woman (in the classical interpretations of gendered terminology). However, the limitations of the English language and the fluid nature of Harry's gender expression compel Nelson to use masculine pronouns in her text. While Harry may well use these pronouns in real life, the evolving nature of his gender identity may, in the future, render these pronouns obsolete.
The Birth of Iggy and Death of Harry's Mother
At the end of The Argonauts, Nelson switches between describing the birth of her son, Iggy, and the death of Harry's mother. These perspective switches seem to make a comparison between the birth of a child and the death of a terminally ill elderly person, yet one is accompanied by laughter and the other by tears. Nelson noes how Harry finds his mother's death quite peaceful and melancholy, while Iggy's birth is quite tumultuous and joy-producing. These two sequences are put in juxtaposition to one another, ironically signaling both their similarity and extreme difference.
Withholding of Certain Names
Nelson makes a point of emphasizing that The Argonauts is a work of 'autotheory,' or self-exploration and making the private public. Yet she withholds key personal details, such as the name of her stepson. Details like this one are obviously deeply sensitive—especially given that Nelson's stepson is a child—emphasizing the compromises the author made with her partner about what was appropriate to be shared in her work.
