In her novel, The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall draws her readers into her novel by creating a likable and relatable character that resonates. Her portrayal of Stephen as an intelligent, caring girl, with perhaps tomboyish qualities, endears her to the readers if not many of those with whom she has interactions. By allowing readers to get to know and relate to Stephen as an individual first, while only hinting at the aspect of sexuality, Hall creates an applicable story that anyone can enjoy. All readers, whether man, woman, heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual can form a connection with the story told of Stephen’s childhood, due to aspects such as her struggle to fit in; fierce love for a parent; and the absence of love and understanding from another parent.
While society dictates an expectation for a child to love a parent, there are multiple occasions without reciprocation of this emotion and no parental bond exists. …show more content…
Therefore, the choice, then, becomes to smother their genuine natures and conform to the expectations of society or be true to themselves, risking ostracism. Hall makes Stephen’s inability to fill the mold expected of women of her time was apparent throughout her entire childhood; “Her relations with other children were peculiar, she thought so herself and so did the children; they could not define it and neither could Stephen, but there it was all the same” (46), Although unable to define what characteristics set her apart, Hall clearly shows that Stephen is aware of her uniqueness, as she expresses to her father, “I was never quite like other children” (106). Stephen’s inability to fit in with others is something nearly every person, regardless of their sexual orientation, encounters at least once in a lifetime, and typically much more, making it a predicament they can easily
While society dictates an expectation for a child to love a parent, there are multiple occasions without reciprocation of this emotion and no parental bond exists. …show more content…
Therefore, the choice, then, becomes to smother their genuine natures and conform to the expectations of society or be true to themselves, risking ostracism. Hall makes Stephen’s inability to fill the mold expected of women of her time was apparent throughout her entire childhood; “Her relations with other children were peculiar, she thought so herself and so did the children; they could not define it and neither could Stephen, but there it was all the same” (46), Although unable to define what characteristics set her apart, Hall clearly shows that Stephen is aware of her uniqueness, as she expresses to her father, “I was never quite like other children” (106). Stephen’s inability to fit in with others is something nearly every person, regardless of their sexual orientation, encounters at least once in a lifetime, and typically much more, making it a predicament they can easily