Arjie’s Journey in Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy Essay -- Funny Boy Ess

Arjies Journey in Shyam Selvadurais Funny Boy Growing up during a time of violent political upheaval in Sri Lanka, Arjie travels an especially woody nightshade journey into ichor in Shyam Selvadurais Funny Boy. The adults in Arjies extended family mostly belong to an older, more conservative generation that attempts to fit Arjie into partys norms. The adults that Arjie meets in the community through his family ar individuals who prompt him to go over past the confines of his childhood, and it is Arjies peers who give him the extra push to arrangement himself. With advocate from his extended family, his adult friends, and his peers, Arjie is able to discover his identity through understanding the impact of melt and sexuality on his life. Although spend-the-day occurs but once a month, Ammachi has a commanding presence in Arjies life. While Appachi hides behind his newspapers, Ammachi is enthroned in big reclining chairs (Selvadurai, 2), her canes insp iring awe in her grandchildren. When Arjie is caught dressed in a sari while playing bride-bride, Ammachi decides that manual labour will teach him to be more masculine. This is the first time Arjie is embarrassed approximately his funniness, though he does not understand why. It is also at his grandparents house that Arjie first learns about the tension between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Afraid that people will talk, Ammachi forbids Radha Aunty to receive rides from anil Jayasinghe, a Sinhalese. Arjie does not comprehend why Ammachi is upset, for he is in a Sinhala class at school and his friends are Sinhalese. His parents best friends and servant are Sinhalese too. Nevertheless, Ammachi sends Radha Aunty to Jaffna for a month, hoping that ... ...hehan allows Arjie to reach a new take aim of understanding about his place in a humanness where race and gender are of utmost importance. Directly and indirectly, the family and friends of Arjie all impress upon the boy their views on race and gender. The familial love of Arjies extended family is at times deadly and confusing, but it nevertheless serves to guide Arjie through the growing up process. The lives of family friends combine with Arjies for only short periods of time, yet the values that these friends cherish linger on in Arjies conscience. Arjies peers grow up with him seeing the world through eyes that are near in age, thus their views on race and gender truly open Arjies eyes during his journey into maturation in Selvadurais Funny Boy.Works CitedSelvadurai, Shyam. Funny Boy. Toronto, Ontario McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1994. Arjies Journey in Shyam Selvadurais Funny Boy Essay -- Funny Boy EssArjies Journey in Shyam Selvadurais Funny Boy Growing up during a time of violent political upheaval in Sri Lanka, Arjie travels an especially bittersweet journey into maturation in Shyam Selvadurais Funny Boy. The adults in Arjies extended family mostly belo ng to an older, more conservative generation that attempts to fit Arjie into societys norms. The adults that Arjie meets in the community through his family are individuals who prompt him to see past the confines of his childhood, and it is Arjies peers who give him the extra push to understanding himself. With guidance from his extended family, his adult friends, and his peers, Arjie is able to discover his identity through understanding the impact of race and gender on his life. Although spend-the-day occurs but once a month, Ammachi has a commanding presence in Arjies life. While Appachi hides behind his newspapers, Ammachi is enthroned in big reclining chairs (Selvadurai, 2), her canes inspiring awe in her grandchildren. When Arjie is caught dressed in a sari while playing bride-bride, Ammachi decides that manual labour will teach him to be more masculine. This is the first time Arjie is embarrassed about his funniness, though he does not understand why. It is als o at his grandparents house that Arjie first learns about the tension between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Afraid that people will talk, Ammachi forbids Radha Aunty to receive rides from Anil Jayasinghe, a Sinhalese. Arjie does not comprehend why Ammachi is upset, for he is in a Sinhala class at school and his friends are Sinhalese. His parents best friends and servant are Sinhalese too. Nevertheless, Ammachi sends Radha Aunty to Jaffna for a month, hoping that ... ...hehan allows Arjie to reach a new level of understanding about his place in a world where race and gender are of utmost importance. Directly and indirectly, the family and friends of Arjie all impress upon the boy their views on race and gender. The familial love of Arjies extended family is at times hurtful and confusing, but it nevertheless serves to guide Arjie through the growing up process. The lives of family friends merge with Arjies for only short periods of time, yet the values that these frie nds cherish linger on in Arjies conscience. Arjies peers grow up with him seeing the world through eyes that are near in age, thus their views on race and gender truly open Arjies eyes during his journey into maturation in Selvadurais Funny Boy.Works CitedSelvadurai, Shyam. Funny Boy. Toronto, Ontario McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1994.