Courage that lies within
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” - Anne Radmacher. Courage is something felt by everyone, for different reasons yet it drives each person to diverse goals. In Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai; characters within the novel demonstrate their courage through Radha’s choice of spouse and Arjie’s sexual identification. Courage does not necessarily mean standing in front of a crowd or saving someone from a burning building, courage can be the fight for one's beliefs or identity.
In Tamil cultures; arranged marriages are common, and such ideas are introduced to children when they are at Arjie’s age. Arjie wants further information about …show more content…
It is through bravery that one can truly be confident in who they are and what they stand for. Arjie never bothered to discover his. In each Spend-the-Day, he would join the girls and play “Bride-Bride”. The bride is the most important and celebrated role, as it mimics the adults when they wear a sari and help detail a mock wedding. Arjie would always get the role because he fills it perfectly. A destructive cousin, Tanuja (aka Her Fatness), revealed an distaste in Arjie, she demands that a bride should be a girl, not a boy. After Arjie gets insulted and told on by Her Fatness, the whole family “gazed at me in amazement as if I [Arjie] had suddenly made myself visible, like a spirit. I glanced at them and then at Amma’s face. Seeing her expression, I felt my dread deepen. I lowered my eyes.” (Selvadurai 18). Though Arjie did not question his identity, his family appears disappointed and stops him from changing himself no matter its significance to Arjie. Since then, Arjie’s family would force him into the boy’s group, or he would be given chores. However, he somehow sneaks out and finds a way to join the girls during Bride-Bride. “‘I want to play bride-bride, please,’ I said, trying to sound as pathetic and inoffensive as possible.“ [...] ‘ But there must be some parts you need people for,’ I said and then added, ‘I’ll play any part.’” (Selvadurai 30-31). Through Arjie’s request, his desperation …show more content…
By putting the school motto and his dad’s desire aside, Arjie returns Shehan’s affection. Without having a basic knowledge of the male sex, he steps up and makes his move on Shehan to make up for a missed opportunity at school. “I [Arjie] reached out and put my hand on his [Shehan] hip. [...] Tentatively, like a bird approaching an outstretched palm, I began to inch my fingers towards his [Shehan] stomach, ready to remove my hand at the slightest indication of displeasure. Soon my hand was on his stomach, and now I could feel through his cotton shirt the rhythm of his breathing.” (Selvadurai 203). Arjie had finally explored male intercourse with Shehan in his garage. Even though it is not what he intended to do, Arjie uses all his courage and makes the first move by interacting with