Exploration of Representation of Male Sexuality

Pages 202 – 205
Explore how these extracts represent a lack of change in attitudes toward men and sexuality. You should come up with a range of points for each of which are supported by close reference to the text.

The lack of change in attitudes towards men and sexuality is demonstrated in this extract through the conversation Sassoon and Rivers have about Graves and his friend’s homosexuality.

He reveals his true feelings when talking about the way Graves makes it clear that “he has no such disgusting feelings” about men himself. “Disgusting” illustrates the full horror he feels at the thought of one of his friends being homosexual and the realization that he felt like this the entire time he has known him and Graves never knew. The metaphor of “a precipice” opening up in the middle of a “pleasant country road” is interesting because it means that Graves feels as if he is suddenly at the edge of a cliff without knowing how he got there; he is questioning everything about his friendships. Sassoon repeats this idea to emphasize how he feels about Graves and that he is now questioning his friendship. As we know that Sassoon is gay himself, the realization that one of his best friends finds his behavior “abominable” would be quite hurtful.

Barker explicitly states that society will still not accept homosexual people into their social circles when she causes Rivers to say “but it’s not very likely, is it, that any movement towards greater tolerance would persist in wartime?”. The reader feels sympathetic towards Sassoon because we find it ridiculous that even when there is a war going on, people are still arguing about the validity of people’s sexual orientation. We come to the conclusion that this is the reason Rivers tells Sassoon to “grow up” when Sassoon admits that he “can’t conform”. He is so strong minded and holds onto his beliefs even though he could be ostracized for them and Rivers also knows that the government could use Sassoon’s sexuality as a way of undermining his arguments against the war and he will be discredited as a respectable person (even more than he already is).

Posted by Melissa