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Gabriel Roman
Jennifer Rodrick
QS 115
November 13, 2017

Justifying Jim and Kennys Experiment

In the book A Single Man, we are introduced to a character who lives a private life with

his one true s. George lives in a community where his sexual orientation is known only by his

neighbors and by his friend Charlotte. Although George is not forced to hide his identity, it is his

personal choice to hide his sexual orientation. Having to hide who you truly are is terrible, but to

me that is not what makes Georges life miserable. The partners that George has deemed as

suitable mates to have a relationship with are responsible for making Georges life terrible. Jim

and Kenny, two men significantly younger than George are the perpetrators of misery in

Georges life. Jim and Kenny are the perpetrators to Georges misery because from an outsiders

perspective George, at least to them, was not worth their lives and reputations. Although it may

seem as a terrible thing to do, I believe that their deeds are not evil and were not done with

malice. I believe that Kenny and Jim not committing to a full-time relationship with George was

not an evil deed because it is just for a human to be able to explore a different sexuality, George

showed symptoms of being obsessive and not being such a great partner, and Kenny and Jim

may have just been taking a safety precaution when it came to permanently staying with George.

No person should ever be tied down and forced to engage in an action that makes them

unhappy. If one feels the need to go out and change their routine because that brings them

happiness, then one should feel free to do that. With that being said, Jim and Kenny are two

young men, who apparently are not sure of their sexual preference. An example for Jim being

open with his sexuality can be seen when George visits Doris at the hospital. George says By

urging him to satisfy all his curiosity and flattered vanity and lust (vanity, mostly) on the gamble
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that he would return (as he did) saying, shes disgusting, saying, never again (Isherwood 96). In

this scene George describes the trip that Jim took with Doris to Mexico, George seems delusional

and seems to hint at the fact that Jim may in fact be leaving him for good. George attempts to

convince himself that Doris is simply a phase for Jim and that Jim should only be happy when he

is with George. Kennys sexuality being open can be seen when George seems to scold Kenny he

says, Never mind. Forget it. Here am I. Here are you-in that damned blanket. Why dont you

take it right off for Christs sake? (Isherwood 175). In this scene Kenny and George have spent

the night drinking together and are now lying naked with one another, it should be noted that

Kenny does have a girlfriend. Despite having a girlfriend, Kenny still seems to be mildly

interested in George, but the two men do not engage in any other activity besides drinking and

lying naked. At the time that Jim was with George and the time that Kenny spent with George it

can be said that Jim and Kenny were exploring their sexuality. According to the Washington

Post, the number of Americans experiencing with members of the same sex has been rising

drastically in recent years. Rachel Feltman of the Washington Post writes The percentage of

men who have had sex with at least one man increased from 4.5 percent to 8.2 percent between

1990 and 2014 (Feltman). This shows that in recent years it has become more acceptable to

experiment with members of the opposite sex. Jim and Kenny ultimately leaving George, Jim by

having the affair with Doris and Kenny by not having intercourse with George, is just because

maybe they both decided that ultimately being with the opposite sex was not for them. Leaving

George because they have found their true identity is a positive, because now Jim and Kenny

know their preferred sexuality. Not staying with George may be seen as a double positive,

because throughout A Single Man George says and thinks some things that raise a couple of

questions about his ability to be a great partner.

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Throughout A Single Man, there are many instances where the reader has to pause and

reread a portion of the book for clarification due to the powerful material. Readers have to pay

attention immense attention to detail, because it is simple to skip over important portions of

certain scenes where the language is subjective and only subtly hints at certain matters. This is

especially true when it comes to reading about how George goes about handling his personal

relationships. When it comes to relationships and dealing with others George wants to have

undivided attention, and if George doesnt get that attention he shows slight symptoms of a

strange obsession with the people he interacts with. George wanting to have undivided attention

and developing slight obsessions with others is something that he develops with both Jim and

Kenny, he wants to control the decisions that Jim and Kenny make so that they end up with him.

When it comes to obsessing and not being a great partner to Jim we can revisit the scene in

which George visits Doris at the hospital. George is pretending that he is speaking to Jim and

says I know something, Jim. I feel certain of it. Youd refuse absolutely to visit her here. You

wouldnt be able to fore yourself to do it (Isherwood 96). This shows an obsession with Jim in

various ways, the first being the fact that George actually went to visit the woman who Jim had

cheated on George with. When examining morality reasons, it is understandable as to why

George did the visit, but it is still slightly eerie. Georges choice of language and deriving

pleasure from Jims lover no longer being suitable for Jim is sickening. It is as if George is

searching for a reason to once again be the only romantic interest in Jims life. When it comes to

Kenny, it is important to once again revisit the scene in which George and Kenny have gone

back to Georges place. George says instead of fucking, if you'll pardon my coarseness. All any

of you ever do is flirt, and wear your blankets off one shoulder, and complain about motels. And

miss the one thing that might really--and, Kenneth, I do not say this casually--transform your
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entire life (Isherwood 176). This scene shows Georges attempt to seduce Kenny, George is

speaking of flirting and never going beyond that which is clearly what is going on with Kenny

and George. Kenny has discreetly made it clear that it is not going beyond tucking each other in,

but George is subtly trying to convince Kenny to change his mind. George is attempting to

pressure Kenny, and is not taking no as an answer. Psychology Today, posted an article by author

Andrea Bonior in which she writes about 20 Signs Your Partner is Controlling. In the article

Bonior discusses two signs that fit the behavior of George. Bonior writes, Many controlling

people are skilled manipulators at making their partner's own emotions work in the controlling

person's favor (Bonior). Bonior also writes When it becomes more intense, however, it can be

scary and possessive (Bonior). The first quotation can be connected to George attempting to

sway Kenny into doing more than flirting with him, and the second quotation can be connected

because it is in regards to being dramatically jealous. Being dramatically jealous can be seen in

Georges need to visit the woman who Jim was with meanwhile still being in a relationship with

George. Although George does show symptoms of being a horrific partner, maybe avoiding an

open homosexual in general was the safest option for Kenny and Jim.

A Single Man takes place in 1962 Los Angeles, a city known to be progressive except

that back in the 1960s being progressive was not the main priority for society. On the contrary,

the 1960s are a time where being progressive was beginning to occur with the Civil Rights

movement, but to dive into that movement is to digress. In the 1960s it was not uncommon to

see propaganda such as the short film directed by Sid Davis, Boys Beware. The video is anti-

homosexual propaganda made for the Inglewood Police Department and was released in 1961,

keep in mind that A Single Man takes place in Los Angeles a year after the ten-minute short film

was released. The video portrays homosexual men as creepy men trying to get close to young
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boys in a way that is so creepy it portrays them as a danger to society. By knowing that short

films such as Boys Beware Kenny and Jim might have been afraid to be openly gay, and since

they knew that George seemed to want to have an open relationship by leaving his side they

opened up an opportunity for someone else to appreciate George. Even now it is difficult for

people to identify as a member of the LGBTQ community so it is left up to the reader to

empathize with Jim and Kenny for not being able to openly express themselves the way that they

might have wanted to.

Ultimately, with deeper analysis of Jim and Kennys actions it is easier to understand

their actions when it came to their treatment of George. Jim and Kenny had every right to

attempt a relationship with George, and if they did not feel the need to proceed with that

relationship then it was fair of them to end it. It is a right for humans to be able to choose who

they will spend their time with, and if George was delusional enough to believe that he could

engage in a relationship with a student or with a partner that openly let him know of his affair

then George is to blame. George also showed the tendencies of being a bad partner, by analyzing

Georges obsession with Doris one can make the assumption that the obsession George showed

after Jims death may have been alive during his relationship with Jim. As mentioned previously,

it is not easy to come out as a homosexual in todays society which is the most accepting society

there has ever been, so one should not blame Jim and Kenny for being afraid to show their true

selves. In short, Jim and Kenny were not in the wrong by not committing to a full-on relationship

with George, because they might have found their true sexuality along the way or they might

have experienced discomfort in having an open homophobic relationship.

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Works Cited

Bonior, Andrea. 20 Signs Your Partner Is Controlling. Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 1

June 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/friendship-20/201506/20-signs-your-partner-is-

controlling. Accessed November 14, 2017.

Davis, Sid, director. Boys Beware. YouTube, uploaded by Tomorrow Always Comes, 9 Dec.

2014 / Boys Beware, Davis Productions, 1961,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZvtvt2JqA. Accessed November 14, 2017.

Feltman, Rachel. Study: Same-Sex experiences are on the rise, and Americans are increasingly

chill about it. The Washington Post, WP Company, 1 June 2016,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/06/01/study-same-sex-

experiences-are-on-the-rise-and-americans-are-increasingly-chill-about-it. Accessed November

14, 2017.

Isherwood, Christopher. A Single Man. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.