Through my study of texts on the comparative course, my opinions on the
theme of forbidden relationships have either changed drastically or been reinforced
due to my interaction with these texts.
‘How Many Miles to Babylon?’ by Jennifer
Johnston, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Colm Tóibín’s ‘Brooklyn’ have equipped me with valuable insight into
this theme. My study of key moments in
all three novels has aided greatly in my accumulation of knowledge regarding
this subject.
We are introduced to the forbidden relationship in ‘Miles’ when Jerry
invites Alec to swim with him, ‘Come on in why don’t you?’ Although Alec is wary of this catholic boy of
a lower social class at first, he accepts Jerry’s offer of friendship. Prior to reading this novel, I assumed
relationships regarded as forbidden by society were avoided. However, Jerry’s extended friendliness and
Alec’s contentment proved me wrong, thus changing my opinion. Similarly, in ‘Brooklyn’,
upon meeting the Italian, Tony, Eilis does not decline his proposition, ‘So,
can I dance with you?’ This furthers my
newfound belief that forbidden relationships are not always avoided. Eilis and Tony develop a relationship despite
Tony’s lower social class. However, this
innocent relationship is different to the one in ‘The Great Gatsby’ between
Gatsby and Daisy.
We are first made aware of Gatsby’s intentions when Jordan Baker reveals
he bought his house ‘so that Daisy would be just across the bay’. This relationship was forbidden because of
Daisy’s marital commitments to Tom yet Gatsby still believed he had a chance
with Daisy. This intention to commence a
connection deemed forbidden by society is almost identical to the manner in
which the relationship develops between Eilis and Jim in ‘Brooklyn’. Though Jim is unaware that Eilis is married,
she makes no attempt to refuse him when it is revealed to her, ‘he likes
you’. I had always believed that people
generally avoid partaking in forbidden relationships but after studying the
moments introducing the relationships in these three texts, I realise my belief
has been changed.
The moments in which I was made aware of the volatility of these
relationships reinforced my view that people often lie to protect their loved
ones. ‘Miles’ portrays the two young
boys meeting secretly; each one had their own ‘private and secret friend’. This
act of protection and loyalty in lying about the relationship is mirrored in ‘Brooklyn’. Tony
fibs to Eilis’ landlord that his surname is ‘McGrath’ to prevent the criticism
that would surely follow if he spoke of his real name. In both texts, Alec and Tony lie to protect
their loved ones, reinforcing my belief.
This is in stark contrast to ‘Gatsby’ when Daisy agrees to Nick’s
warning ‘Don’t bring Tom’. Gatsby and
Daisy decide to keep Tom oblivious while they meet secretly, but this is to
serve their own intentions. Unlike the
previous two novels; in ‘Gatsby’, Daisy and Gatsby lie to protect
themselves. This is similar to Eilis and
Jim’s relationship in ‘Brooklyn’, Eilis had ‘planned to say that she had
someone special in Brooklyn’, yet refrained
from doing so, to protect herself. This
lie might be misconstrued as a way to protect Jim’s feelings but I believe
Eilis, by lying, was only setting Jim up for a deeper heartbreak. In this forbidden relationship, Eilis is only
shielding herself with lies, not a loved one.
From these observations, my opinion that people lie to protect others
they love was reinforced. However, I
also noticed that there is a fine line between lying to protect others and
lying to protect oneself.
There are clear moments of beauty in these forbidden relationships
throughout all three novels.
Unfortunately, they have proved my theory that people can often get
swept up in the idea of a dream. Alec
and Jerry share a dream of ‘starting a small stud and training stables’ in
‘Miles’ but Alec fails to see the reality of the situation. Jerry warns him, ‘they wouldn’t let us be
friends’, but Alec continues to dream of the seemingly impossible. Alec’s blindness to reality is identical to
Gatsby’s in ‘The Great Gatsby’: ‘In her actual and astounding presence none of
it was any longer real’. Gatsby is so
taken with the dream of being with Daisy; he is oblivious to everything around
him that reminds him of reality.
Eilis also finds herself dreaming of a life with Jim in ‘Brooklyn’. She
looks at a photo of her and Jim and notices ‘how happy they seemed’. Eilis, like Gatsby, is in love with the dream
of being with the counterpart in the relationship rather than with the person
themselves. These moments of beauty are
all misleading for the characters as they purport that the dream is within
reach, when in fact it is nothing but a fantasy. This furthers my belief that people are prone
to getting carried away with a dream while participating in a forbidden
relationship.
The moments of conflict in these three texts see fantasy and reality collide
violently. My previous view that one
cannot love two people at the same time has changed completely since my study
of these forbidden relationships. Also,
my belief that these relationships bring difficult choices was
strengthened. In ‘Gatsby’ there is
dramatic conflict between Tom and Gatsby.
Gatsby argues, ‘She’s never loved you.
She loves me’, but Tom argues otherwise.
Daisy is torn between these two men and is forced to choose between
them, a decision she tries to avoid.
Daisy’s passivity to this conflict is identical to Eilis’ response to
Miss Kelly’s dig: ‘Miss Lacey? If that’s what your name is now.’ In ‘Brooklyn’,
Eilis is forced to choose between two men, similar to ‘Gatsbsy’. In both texts, the women show affection and
love for both men and therefore reverse my belief that one cannot love two
people at the same time. However, these
key moments of conflict confirm my point that forbidden relationships entail a
number of difficult decisions.
Although Alec only loves one person, the idea that he is faced with a
decision remains true in ‘Miles’. Major
Glendinning warns him, ‘there must be no flaw in the machinery’, in order to
uphold the social class structure.
However, unlike ‘Gatsby’ and ‘Brooklyn’,
in ‘Miles’, Alec responds to conflict dramatically which is out of character
for the usual bystander. He is forced to
discard his dream of working with Jerry and face reality, which means making a
tough choice. Two of my views on
forbidden relationships are challenged in these moments of conflict: I realise
now that it is possible to love two people at one time but I am more certain of
my opinion that such a relationship can force difficult decisions.
The moment in which the theme was resolved proved to be very significant
in shaping my final view. Before reading
these texts, I thought it impossible to walk away from love with ease. However, ‘Gatsby’ and ‘Brooklyn’
proved me wrong. At Gatsby’s funeral,
Nick recalls that Daisy didn’t ‘send a message or a flower’ but left with Tom instead. Her effortless escape from the pain and
destruction she caused is similar to Eilis in ‘Brooklyn’. Eilis takes her mother’s advice: ‘you should
be with your husband’, and returns to America, leaving Jim only a note to
briefly state her departure. In both
novels, I realised that one can easily abandon their love. Eilis and Daisy exit these forbidden
relationships without a scratch. This is
extremely different to Alec’s reaction in ‘Miles’. The normally passive young man resigns
himself to his own tragic fate by putting Jerry out of his misery: ‘I shut my
own eyes and pulled with my finger.’
Shooting Jerry and sentencing himself to death proves Alec is a
contradiction to the point that it is easy to walk away from love. Alec, unlike Eilis and Daisy, makes sure his
relationship triumphs and does not submit to cowardice like the two women. Overall, my final opinion on the simplicity
of abandoning love was ultimately altered.
Through my study of key moments in these three texts, my understanding
of forbidden relationships was changed but also reinforced in some
aspects. I learned not everyone avoids
participation in forbidden relationships, one often lies to protect a loved
one, can get swept up in the idea of a dream, can love two people at the same
time but ultimately have to make a choice.
Finally, I understand that some people find it easy to leave a
love.
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