Christopher Isherwood’s novel A Single Man, follows one day in the life of one reasonably distraught, Californian, British born, homosexual, English professor, George Falconer. Isherwood’s novel addresses difficult concepts such as homosexuality, loneliness, oppression, depression, and the all too real inevitability of death. The oppression and alienation faced by homosexuals in the mid 1900’s, along with the psychological journey caused by great loss, is revealed in Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man when viewed through the feminist lens, with attention to themes, imagery, allusion, and symbolism.
The 1900’s were a time of great change all throughout the world. Both of the World Wars took place in the 1900s, and after these came the war …show more content…
One particular example is while George is driving to work. In order to transition from George driving to work, to George within his thoughts, Isherwood further characterizes George as a fragmented human being and splits him into two parts: body, and mind. “And George, like a master who has entrusted the driving of a car to a servant, is now free to direct his attention elsewhere,”(Isherwood 50) this allows Isherwood to take the reader through George’s thought processes, and the certain nuances of his character, to show how he really feels about things, and to more accurately portray the passage of time while driving. The beginning of the lecture scene is another one of the more accurate portrayals of a relatable event. The scene begins with George walking into the lecture-hall. The tension and anticipation between student and professor build and build until, “Yes, alas, he must spoil everything. Now he must speak.”(Isherwood 70) Isherwood captures the awkwardness and anticipation that occurs between teacher and student, when neither party wants to ruin the other’s plan by either starting to lecture or continuing to chatter amongst peers. This interaction between student and teacher marks a moment which George enjoys, and it takes his mind off of his loneliness and his growing