There was three parts of this book which involved Robert Ross and sexual occurrences. After analyzing the three parts it is prevalent that Robert was a character whom felt very uncomfortable when put in a situation where sexual intercourse is present. Using the critical approaches Archetypal as well as Psychoanalytical his feelings are shown through various symbols, patterns, and actions. From a historical- biographical approach you could relate the tone during the sexual occurrences to the author, Timothy Findley’s personal life. Timothy Findley was openly homosexual (Duffy) which can shadow why the character felt so uncomfortable about mixed gender sexual intercourse. Using the two other approaches we can further analyze these scenes.
Robert’s
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As mentioned in the introduction Findley was openly homosexual. In this passage negative connotation was used to describe Robert’s feelings on the affair. Words such as “cry”, “blind”, “defenceless”, “violence”, were all used. When knowing that the author was openly bisexual, it makes you wonder why the character would be so uncomfortable with an act of homosexual encounter. This is unusual because in other passages of the book it clearly shows that Robert is uncomfortable with same gender affairs as well. descriptive which would make the reader …show more content…
It was not clear whether Robert was clearly homosexual or not because the two passages explored show two different feelings regarding the sex. In the first passage Robert is shown to be uncomfortable with Taffler and the prostitute. Using a archetypal approach you can see that the symbols of water and lilacs can relate to that. In the second passage chosen using a formalist approach you can sense the defencelessness through the detailed and negative connotation used. The homosexuality was shown especially in how he felt about Taffler engaging in intercourse with a women. This could shadow Robert having affection towards Taffler. Power is also shown during this passage when it uses sonic symbols to describe how Taffler is during this affair. Injury is especially shown when the water jug is broke. Finally Defencelessness is a definite tone established when describing Robert being raped. In conclusion, using critical approaches evidence shows Robert is unsure of his sexuality and is confused in many situations through the