Prejudice, Power, and Control In Funny Boy, a historical coming-of-age novel, author Shyam Selvadurai depicts the unique situation of a young gay boy growing up in Sri Lanka amidst the Sinhala-Tamil tensions. A Tamil himself, Arjie unwittingly becomes caught up in this period of violent political upheaval, eventually immigrating to Canada with his family. Prior to this, Arjie witnesses firsthand the damaging effects of pre-Civil War ethnic hostility, particularly those on social life. In the selected passage, Arjie ponders the injustices carried out at his school and how they relate ones he has seen or experienced, all based on the cruel whims of prejudice, power, and control. By implementing the narrative voice of a young boy, Selvadurai utilizes the backdrop of Arjie’s innocence to introduce the idea that conflicting ideals can lead to confusion and alienation. As someone who has never quite fit the mold of masculinity, Arjie has always felt an underlying sense of helplessness and discontent with external norms. As a child, he would often play with the girls rather than the boys, one of his favorite activities involving his dressing up as a bride. When his parents discover this, they strongly discourage this “funny” behavior, coercing him into trying activities considered more masculine, …show more content…
Tying into the bigger metaphor of school representing society as a whole, he could also be implying the ball and chain effect of social norms. Also, by describing Black Tie’s balcony, something representative of the principal’s power, as “now hidden in shadows” (5), Arjie refers to his new understanding of the sinister workings of absolute authority, whether administrative or social. He realizes that control over the individual is, whatever the intentions, something inherently inequitable, under which there will always be victims of