Good morning listeners, and welcome to ABC Radio National Open Learning. Our segment, Reading and Writing Australia, will be presented by our guest, Rebecca Diskett. This week we will explore the theme of gender roles, revolving specifically around the idea of stereotypical masculinity, as represented in acclaimed author Will Kostakis’ book The Sidekicks.
Kostakis uses a unique structure throughout his book, breaking it into thirds to explore the novel from the three protagonist’s first person points of view. The novel, set in 2016 Australia, follows three vastly different high school boys, Ryan, Harley, and Miles, whose only common denominator is their shared best friend, Isaac. The opening scene reveals the three being called into the school …show more content…
Characterisation, themes, and critical literacy concepts are strategically implemented throughout the novel to explore the characters of Ryan, Harley, and Miles.
The first protagonist in the book, Ryan Thompson, is introduced as ‘The Swimmer’, effectively representing the masculine stereotype of an athlete before the character is properly introduced. Ryan initially has an initially insipid characterisation, revolving all aspects of his life from his time to his diet around swimming, which further reinforces the masculine stereotype by which he is confined. However, when Ryan is, instead of being a ‘womanizer’ as jocks in high school novels are almost always represented, introduced as being gay, the stock …show more content…
While Miles isn’t portrayed as masculine in the most traditional sense, he conforms to the stereotypical masculine traits of intelligence and ambition, which are also necessary traits in the stock character of the nerd. Most of his time is spent studying, he refuses to dip into the character of Harley, being against drugs and alcohol, and he dislikes most people at school, with the exception of Isaac. Despite this, he doesn’t fill the ‘goody-two-shoes’ role as he is expected to, as he breaks school rules by writing and selling essays for other students, clearly distancing himself from the nerd stereotype. Miles exudes none of the confidence that either the nerd or masculine stereotype is meant to portray as the theme of self-doubt is explored. After Isaac’s death, Miles begins to question whether or not Isaac actually enjoyed being around him, as can be seen in the quote “I was not a friend. I served a function. I was a sidekick, a bit player in Isaac’s life. And now that he is gone, what does that make me?” Of the three characters, Miles conforms to the most traditional sense of masculinity the least, and so the way in which Kostakis manipulates his personality to break from the stereotype is subtle, but effective. The juxtaposition of extreme intelligence against almost crippling self-doubt in Miles’s character
Kostakis uses a unique structure throughout his book, breaking it into thirds to explore the novel from the three protagonist’s first person points of view. The novel, set in 2016 Australia, follows three vastly different high school boys, Ryan, Harley, and Miles, whose only common denominator is their shared best friend, Isaac. The opening scene reveals the three being called into the school …show more content…
Characterisation, themes, and critical literacy concepts are strategically implemented throughout the novel to explore the characters of Ryan, Harley, and Miles.
The first protagonist in the book, Ryan Thompson, is introduced as ‘The Swimmer’, effectively representing the masculine stereotype of an athlete before the character is properly introduced. Ryan initially has an initially insipid characterisation, revolving all aspects of his life from his time to his diet around swimming, which further reinforces the masculine stereotype by which he is confined. However, when Ryan is, instead of being a ‘womanizer’ as jocks in high school novels are almost always represented, introduced as being gay, the stock …show more content…
While Miles isn’t portrayed as masculine in the most traditional sense, he conforms to the stereotypical masculine traits of intelligence and ambition, which are also necessary traits in the stock character of the nerd. Most of his time is spent studying, he refuses to dip into the character of Harley, being against drugs and alcohol, and he dislikes most people at school, with the exception of Isaac. Despite this, he doesn’t fill the ‘goody-two-shoes’ role as he is expected to, as he breaks school rules by writing and selling essays for other students, clearly distancing himself from the nerd stereotype. Miles exudes none of the confidence that either the nerd or masculine stereotype is meant to portray as the theme of self-doubt is explored. After Isaac’s death, Miles begins to question whether or not Isaac actually enjoyed being around him, as can be seen in the quote “I was not a friend. I served a function. I was a sidekick, a bit player in Isaac’s life. And now that he is gone, what does that make me?” Of the three characters, Miles conforms to the most traditional sense of masculinity the least, and so the way in which Kostakis manipulates his personality to break from the stereotype is subtle, but effective. The juxtaposition of extreme intelligence against almost crippling self-doubt in Miles’s character