Masculinity In Boy Swallows Universe By Trent Dalton And Stephen Daldry

By exploring both the positive and negative aspects of society and humanity, texts prompt audiences into gaining a deeper understanding of the perspectives of people that differ from their own. In the 2018 novel, Boy Swallows Universe and the 2000 film, Billy Elliot – by Trent Dalton and Stephen Daldry respectively – explore what it means to be a marginalised individual in a society that often prioritises the privileged class. Dalton condemns the oppressive and disempowering nature of their society whilst commending the moral growth of the protagonists as a result of the positive and negative experiences that befall them. In turn, Daldry examines the often suffocating expectations and stereotypes commonplace in 1980s England. Daldry’s film

Dalton creates many examples of both positive and toxic displays of masculinity when applying a gender lens to the text. Eli navigates the challenging traditional conceptions of masculinity in the 1980s as he matures, surrounded by the many males in his life. These men, regardless of Eli’s attitude towards them, are both positive and negative influences on him. Lyle was idolised by Eli and was seen as a father figure over the nine years spent with his mother, Frankie, and is a strong example of masculinity. Eli thought the world of Lyle and wanted to be held in that regard in return, and so, Eli would do anything he could to act tough and hide his tears. “Don’t you ever be ashamed of crying…Too many people in this world are too scared to cry because they’re too scared to give a sh*t” (Dalton 97). Lyle’s comfort and validation immediately juxtapose the scene prior where his actions reflect the more toxic notion of masculinity, “Lyle brushes past August and he hauls me up by the collar of my opportunity shop polo, then pushes me out the front door. He hauls me down the front stairs and along the path, through the gate, still holding my collar, his big streetfightin’ fists pushing against the back of my neck” (Dalton 96). During Eli’s childhood, Lyle advocated for Eli’s emotions; he constantly made Eli aware that he was not weaker for them but then continues to contradict his words by

In a world full of crime and marginalisation, Eli struggles with what it means to be a good man. To resolve this, he asks many of those who are important to him whether they are good to try and reaffirm his image of what a good man should be. Eli questions many significant figures in his life; Lyle as the first man he ever loved, Slim in regard to his accused crime, and Tytus Broz as an upstanding member of society and the man who killed Lyle. Eli’s internal dilemma acts as a catalyst for his future choices; “This is what a good man does, Slim. Good men are brash and brave and fly by the seat of their pants that are held up by suspenders made of choice. This is my choice, Slim. Do what is right, not what is easy…Do what is human” (Dalton 465). As Eli grows, he comes to learn that the world cannot be so cleanly divided; no man is purely good, just as no man is purely evil. Eli fixates on this concept and, after spending time around his dad, works towards becoming the good man he had always hoped to be. Upon getting to know his dad, Eli wasn’t impressed, despite August staying resolute in the fact that he was good. It wasn’t until later when he really took on the paternal role in their lives that Eli even considers forgiving him and participates in his attempts to bond, knowing