Homosexuality In Christopher Isherwood's A Single Man

In the novel, A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood, it tells the story of a man who lives in Southern California during the 1960s. George is an english professor that teaches at a university and lives in a nice, cozy house that he shares with his partner named Jim. However, Jim has passed away from a tragic car accident that kills him instantly. This leaves George in a very difficult and uncomfortable situation. He must go on with his life without Jim and continue to work, socialize with others, and take care of himself. George has a hard time dealing with the grief and hides it in public when he is working or in public running errands. The 1960s is a very difficult time to live in for George because he is hiding the fact that he is a homosexual. Homosexuality back in the 1960s was illegal and had very serious consequences, so George did everything in his power to hide it in public. Since George was living in the time period of the 1960s it has affected his ability to open …show more content…
This was how extreme the anti-gay attitudes were during those times and it was really horrifying. The society during this time viewed homosexuality as a sickness because it was very different than the usual attraction of males and females which has been around for a very long time. “..aversion therapy was used routinely in hopes that it would prevent or eliminate homosexual behaviors” (2013, “Shock the Gay Away: Secrets of Early Gay Aversion Therapy Revealed). Some different types of aversion therapy that was used included electroshock therapy and lobotomy. These methods to get rid of homosexual behaviors were violent and very disturbing to the public. There were many experiments done on the patients and most of them ended up disabled mentally and physically. The fear of homosexuals during this time is probably the highest during this time and this is why they would hide their true