Moneque Beckford
Corrine E. Blackmer
English 218
9/16/12
A Representative of Hope: A Single Man
Christopher Isherwood's novel A Single Man was written in 1964 when there was much prejudice against gay men. It is one day in the life of a single man, George. George is an English professor at the San Tomas State College. George, a homosexual has lost his husband Jim; although he grapples to come to the term with the loss, he feels a sense of hopefulness in life. George later discovers that although hopeless, he represents a symbol of hope for his students at the San Thomas State College.
Hope is the evidence of things one wishes to attain that are unseen; they are not in visible, they are not tangible, but one yearns, dreams, and longs to attain those things which they desire. It is the little strand of thread that we hold on to when we feel as if we are reaching our threshold of pain and life circumstances seems too unbearable.
A map of Centre County showing State College, Penn...
State College is known for beautiful fall foliage.
Memorial plaque, Christopher Isherwood, Nollendorf...For the students of San Tomas State College, Kenny, their teacher, represents that source of strength, that little voice that keeps whispering to them to go on, that little thread that they can hold on to and face life challenges another time.
When Georges gets up in the morning he arises almost reluctantly, he struggles to put himself together as the reality of Jim's passing presents itself another time. He tells himself that, "It must get dressed up in clothes because it is going outside into the world of other people; and these other people must be able to identify it". "Every day is like a routine to him, he calls himself "it," because he has not identified who he is as yet, so he puts on a...