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Post by connorswauger on Jul 3, 2024 2:59:49 GMT
Reading up on “Alienation” was really interesting to me, and it made me think of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. I had recently written an essay on the main character, David’s, battle with his internalized homophobia and how growing up, he knew he was queer but he had such a strong idea of what it meant to be a man in the 1950’s that really ended up alienating himself from his fiancé, friends, and his lover, Giovanni.
His fiancé is clearly important to him but he is really in love with Giovanni, but his masculinity wont let him actually love Giovanni and David ultimately ends up alone.
There is so much more to this novel, but after reading about “Alienation”, I immediately thought of how it fits into the queer experience.
Thoughts?
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Post by garrison on Jul 3, 2024 16:02:10 GMT
Being forced away from one's true self is one of the saddest situations there is. I've seen fitting into society being compared to fitting through a door. Like not everyone is going to fit through the same door, but so often people will sacrifice pieces of themselves to fit through society's norms. It's a cruel world, but hopefully, love will triumph over it all one day.
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Post by gillianlaird on Jul 3, 2024 17:15:58 GMT
After studying up on the Alienation cheat sheet and reading what you had to say, Connor, on Giovanni's Room, I am starting to wonder if most feelings of inadequacy or lack of acceptance don't stem from outward circumstances but more so inner turmoil. Obviously this is not the case in every circumstance, but it could be interesting to inspect how our own internalized fears (Like David in Giovanni's Room) affect how we step out into the world.
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Post by connorswauger on Jul 3, 2024 20:49:10 GMT
After studying up on the Alienation cheat sheet and reading what you had to say, Connor, on Giovanni's Room, I am starting to wonder if most feelings of inadequacy or lack of acceptance don't stem from outward circumstances but more so inner turmoil. Obviously this is not the case in every circumstance, but it could be interesting to inspect how our own internalized fears (Like David in Giovanni's Room) affect how we step out into the world. I wonder if that’s the same case for Jack in our reading for this week. I think he also feels a sort of alienation from society but not from outside forces. I think it’s more internal like you mentioned because he seems to be struggling to find the wonder in life. I also see how he finds companionship in KAte this way because she seems to be experiencing the same feelings in a much greater intensity. |
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