Caitlynn Sandberg

Jennifer Rodrick

QS 115

11/16/2017

Project Text

Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not

lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the

development of the society alone, but for the development of his self, -B.R. Ambedkar. Identity

is an interesting concept. Many people spend their life trying to find their true identity and our

society has made millions off of movies made about people finding their identity. Christopher

Isherwood was a playwright, screenwriter, photographer and novelist born in England and

moved to the U.S as a an adult. In Isherwoods novel A Single Man, he creates a character that

represents himself and that through experience and purpose of action, he shapes his identity.

The main character in A Single Man is George. The novel is about him and his life as a

middle aged homosexual living in society in the 60s. It was a rough time for many people due to

discrimination but some were able to avoid that. People who were of the queer community were

able to hide that part of themselves to keep from the scrutinization of the people around them.

George conceals that part of himself for the most part although a few people in his life are aware

of it. Throughout the novel, George is mourning the loss of his lover Jim and finds difficulty in

moving on with his life but since their relationship was kept hidden from most people, his

mourning is mostly kept to himself.

The novel begins with the narrator describing the main character waking up in the

morning but he doesnt necessarily seem to be talking about a person. The narrator could be
describing an animal with the words, It knows its name. It is called George, (Isherwood, 4).

Isherwood has a purpose in this and it is to show that George wakes up and sees himself but

doesnt exactly know who he is at first. It takes him some time to wake up to start identifying

himself but he doesnt wake up and immediately do just that. We are taught to do that by society

and those around us. George gets up and does his morning routine so that he can prepare himself

to go out into the world with other people. He calls himself an it because he is barely his own

person but doing it for the rest of the world. Its behavior must be acceptable to them,

Isherwood writes to show this. He has a name and identifies himself for others rather than

himself.

George is a closed off character trying to find joy in life once again after Jims death but

he is dealing with so many things that its difficult to continue and move forward. The part of

Georges identity that is focused on most in the novel is that he is a gay man in the 60s. That is

what makes the novel so groundbreaking for its time. In a news article written in 2014 by

Aleisha Orr, she describes the personal accounts of a gay man in the 60s living in Australia.

Homosexuality was a crime, up until the 90s in Australia which made it extremely difficult to

be out. There were laws regarding homosexuals that left the law open to different

interpretations. The police kept records of the homosexuals whether they were out or even just

suspected of the crime. The amount of fraud that was gotten away with is atrocious. Innocent

homosexuals were framed and committed and murderers were let free because the victim tried to

feel them up (Orr, 2014). George was still in love with Jim even after his passing and just like in

Australia at that time, it was not socially acceptable to share that information.

George tries to find himself in Jim even though Jim is gone. Thats part of who he is and

his identity. George goes and visits Doris in the hospital about halfway through the novel. Doris
is the woman that took Jim from George. They were in the car together that got into the

accident. Doris is still alive while the accident obviously killed Jim. George has felt so much

resentment towards her but he wants the connection that he is losing with Jim as time passes. At

the end of the hospital visit Isherwood writes, As long as one tiny precious drop of hate

remained, George could still find something left in her of Jim. For he hated Jim too, nearly as

much as her, while they were away together in Mexico. That has been the bond between him and

Doris. And now it is broken. And one more bit of Jim is lost to him forever, (Isherwood, 52).

He had been faking sincerity towards Doris for weeks since the accident happened. This quotes

shows the thin line between love and hate because in both emotions, there is passion. He still had

passion in his relationship with Doris which is what kept the connection to Jim through her.

In 2009, a movie adaptation of A Single Man was made starring Colin Firth as George

and Nicholas Hoult as Kenny. The adaptation is done well and I believe that it gives an added

taste to the book. There is obviously more detail in the book and its pictured differently. Books

let the imagination run on its own a little bit at least picture wise but movie scores also add

emotion and power to the scene being acted out or portrayed. In this movie clip, George and

Kenny are finishing their conversation at the bar and they run out of the bar, across the street and

into the ocean (Tenzin 2010).

There are a few places that each individual seems to find comfort in being and readers see

that George enjoys being at the gym. Isherwood writes, Nobody is too hideous or too handsome

to be accepted as an equal, (Isherwood, 56). George is at first very self-conscious of himself and

puts back on his shirt before going to work out but after seeing the other men he gets into the

groove of it all for a couple reasons. He finds encouragement and adrenaline in the other people

at the gym. He borrows their youthfulness and feeds off of their energy. George is also in a
place without judgement. No one there knows he is gay but he doesnt have to watch his

mannerisms as he does in other places. He doesnt feel as if hes doing anything wrong or out of

place when looking at other men because they all do it. Everyone is there to better themselves

and no one judges one another so George finds comfort in that.

 WORKS CITED

Orr, Aleisha, Being Gay in the 60s- a decade beyond reason. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-

news/being-gay-in-the-60s--a-decade-beyond-reason-20140121-315va.html

A Single Man- Swimming and Before by Dorja Tenzin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOlcG58-eRs