Nevertheless, also below deck, hindrances to Lionel's homosexual awakening emerge. When the protagonists are on the verge of consuming their love and Lionel notices that the door of the cabin has remained unbolted, he is overwhelmed by anxiety and anger. If the door had been bolted, the cabin – below deck – would truly have been a safe haven for their romance to flourish. The unbolted door, however, confronts Lionel with the risk of potential exposure of his illicit activities. Moreover, the anxiety and anger which he experiences once again demonstrate Lionel's internalisation of the prevailing prejudices and norms. It is also significant that he then flees to the upper deck, where he doubts about his desire for Cocoanut vows to "keep with
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back to England. While the majority of commentators focus almost invariably on this shift of direction and analyse it as a signal of Cocoanut's continued rebellion against society's prejudices, even after his death (Pirbhai 357-8), for his corpse literally goes against the current, other elements complicate this interpretation. Firstly, Lionel's murder of Cocoanut could be regarded as a final, desperate attempt to eradicate his homosexual proclivities, incarnated by his half-caste roommate. As such, Cocoanut's death is only a superficial victory, because the reversed direction of Cocoanut's body against the current still suggests homosexual proclivities, on both protagonists' part. This is corroborated by the fact that the blood on Lionel's body attracts sharks, preventing it from being recovered. Since the body is stained with blood because Cocoanut bit Lionel, Cocoanut essentially determines the fate of his corpse and, as a result, continues to exert his influence on him. Secondly, it is significant that ultimately, neither protagonist reaches his destination. This also accounts for Lionel's conflicted feelings: he and Cocoanut never arrive in India, where their love …show more content…
M. Forster's short story "The Other Boat" revolves around the passionate, yet complicated cross-ethnic, homosexual relationship between Lionel March, a captain in the British Army, and Cocoanut, a half-caste boy. The text follows Lionel's homosexual awakening and presents it as a spatio-psychological journey, aligned with changes of the spatial setting, distance and direction, because the boat's navigation between England and India corresponds to attitudes of, respectively, repression and lenience with regard to Lionel's sexual orientation. Yet, further distinctions on a lower level complicate this, because, even when approaching India, doubts still invade Lionel's mind due to the clash between the relative sexual freedom Lionel experiences below deck and his public role on deck as the epitome of masculinity and as a member of 'the Ruling Race'. But even below deck, an unbolted door suffices to thwart Lionel's homosexual awakening and to make him suppress his feelings. The ambiguity induced by these different distinctions complicates the interpretation of the murder-suicide at the ending, which could either give voice to hope for sexual freedom or to the ultimate irreconcilability of cross-ethnic, same-sex desire with the Empire's repressive morals. It can thus be concluded that the spatial setting, be it in terms distance, direction, geographical locations, or places on the boat, resonates with Lionel's homosexual awakening, but is also suffused with ambiguity, making
back to England. While the majority of commentators focus almost invariably on this shift of direction and analyse it as a signal of Cocoanut's continued rebellion against society's prejudices, even after his death (Pirbhai 357-8), for his corpse literally goes against the current, other elements complicate this interpretation. Firstly, Lionel's murder of Cocoanut could be regarded as a final, desperate attempt to eradicate his homosexual proclivities, incarnated by his half-caste roommate. As such, Cocoanut's death is only a superficial victory, because the reversed direction of Cocoanut's body against the current still suggests homosexual proclivities, on both protagonists' part. This is corroborated by the fact that the blood on Lionel's body attracts sharks, preventing it from being recovered. Since the body is stained with blood because Cocoanut bit Lionel, Cocoanut essentially determines the fate of his corpse and, as a result, continues to exert his influence on him. Secondly, it is significant that ultimately, neither protagonist reaches his destination. This also accounts for Lionel's conflicted feelings: he and Cocoanut never arrive in India, where their love …show more content…
M. Forster's short story "The Other Boat" revolves around the passionate, yet complicated cross-ethnic, homosexual relationship between Lionel March, a captain in the British Army, and Cocoanut, a half-caste boy. The text follows Lionel's homosexual awakening and presents it as a spatio-psychological journey, aligned with changes of the spatial setting, distance and direction, because the boat's navigation between England and India corresponds to attitudes of, respectively, repression and lenience with regard to Lionel's sexual orientation. Yet, further distinctions on a lower level complicate this, because, even when approaching India, doubts still invade Lionel's mind due to the clash between the relative sexual freedom Lionel experiences below deck and his public role on deck as the epitome of masculinity and as a member of 'the Ruling Race'. But even below deck, an unbolted door suffices to thwart Lionel's homosexual awakening and to make him suppress his feelings. The ambiguity induced by these different distinctions complicates the interpretation of the murder-suicide at the ending, which could either give voice to hope for sexual freedom or to the ultimate irreconcilability of cross-ethnic, same-sex desire with the Empire's repressive morals. It can thus be concluded that the spatial setting, be it in terms distance, direction, geographical locations, or places on the boat, resonates with Lionel's homosexual awakening, but is also suffused with ambiguity, making