Sexuality in Social Norms
Sexuality within Social Norms
The novel The Wars by Timothy Findley whom is a well recognized Canadian author demonstrates the convention of sexuality when Robert Ross, a Canadian solider questions his sexuality. During the 1900s people fell into gender roles and social norms. Homosexuality throughout the 1900s was a very controversial topic. Robert Ross came from an exceptionally religious Christian family. Christian’s do not believe in homosexuality but see it as horrendous: “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” The Wars by Timothy Findley analyzed through the lens of existentialism of queer theory, limits and fixes identities through the categorizations of gender, sexuality, and heteronormativity. Robert Ross is shown disobeying social norms numerous times: having feelings for a fellow soldier, seeing two soldiers having sexual intercourse, and experiencing sexual intercourse with Barbara d’Orsey. Robert Ross was not one to make friends, he is rather shy and keep to himself, and he felt as if though he is an outsider. Though this is the case Robert was still able to find another soldier he could relate to and create an actual friendship and bond with; this soldiers name is Harris. This could do with the fact that these characters parallel one another. They both had lost someone they had loved: Rowena’s death for Robert and Harris’ ‘mothers’ death when he was young. Also both characters have an estranged relation with one of their parents. Robert not connecting with his mother the night before leaving for the war and Harris with his father is shown when, “…mostly on behalf of Harris with whom he’d become close friends” (Findley, 91). This quotation shows us how the kinship between these characters had grown and how close the two soldiers have become. “…Robert went nearly every day to visit his friend… Harris had no other visitors” (Findley, 92). Robert would spend most of his time with a person who was certain to die, which would seem mad but, the
The novel The Wars by Timothy Findley whom is a well recognized Canadian author demonstrates the convention of sexuality when Robert Ross, a Canadian solider questions his sexuality. During the 1900s people fell into gender roles and social norms. Homosexuality throughout the 1900s was a very controversial topic. Robert Ross came from an exceptionally religious Christian family. Christian’s do not believe in homosexuality but see it as horrendous: “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” The Wars by Timothy Findley analyzed through the lens of existentialism of queer theory, limits and fixes identities through the categorizations of gender, sexuality, and heteronormativity. Robert Ross is shown disobeying social norms numerous times: having feelings for a fellow soldier, seeing two soldiers having sexual intercourse, and experiencing sexual intercourse with Barbara d’Orsey. Robert Ross was not one to make friends, he is rather shy and keep to himself, and he felt as if though he is an outsider. Though this is the case Robert was still able to find another soldier he could relate to and create an actual friendship and bond with; this soldiers name is Harris. This could do with the fact that these characters parallel one another. They both had lost someone they had loved: Rowena’s death for Robert and Harris’ ‘mothers’ death when he was young. Also both characters have an estranged relation with one of their parents. Robert not connecting with his mother the night before leaving for the war and Harris with his father is shown when, “…mostly on behalf of Harris with whom he’d become close friends” (Findley, 91). This quotation shows us how the kinship between these characters had grown and how close the two soldiers have become. “…Robert went nearly every day to visit his friend… Harris had no other visitors” (Findley, 92). Robert would spend most of his time with a person who was certain to die, which would seem mad but, the