Chapter 1
Introduction
Jonathan Earl Franzen, an American writer, is one of the most acclaimed novelist and essayist of today’s era. Born in Western Springs, Illinois on August 17, 1959 this prolific writer has contributed greatly in the industry of literature by producing number of creative pieces of work throughout his writing career. Franzen was brought up in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1981 he graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in German. His father Earl T. Franzen was an engineer and his mother Irene was a traditional homemaker. He was youngest of three children. Franzen married Valerie Cornell in 1982; they separated in 1994. Currently, Franzen lives with his girlfriend, the writer Kathy …show more content…
Homophobia envelops a scope of adverse mentalities and sentiments toward homosexuality or individuals who are distinguished or saw as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It can be communicated as hostility, disdain, bias, repugnance, or contempt may be in light of unreasonable apprehension, and sometimes a person shows abhorrence due to religious convictions. The display of homophobia also results from the beliefs inlaid in a person by his parents or by peer pressure. Some people saw homosexuality and gays as an unsavory impact towards their masculinity; in their viewpoint homosexuality is a revolting act because by being the champion of LGBT community they are endangering their own masculinity. They favor their male ego and in turn repress their instinctive urges which make appearances now and then through unconscious slip. This same pattern could be observed in Chip’s line of thought. He always thoughts himself to be a womanizer, in the first half of a novel his disdain towards homosexual male is quite obvious from his remarks here and there but in the second half remarkable change in his character could be witness. Those days with Gitanas under the Lithuanian political upheaval opens up new avenues for him. But their budding relationship is cut short before Chip could fully understand this new development. Though however short their relationship might end it gave readers a new insight into Chip’s
Introduction
Jonathan Earl Franzen, an American writer, is one of the most acclaimed novelist and essayist of today’s era. Born in Western Springs, Illinois on August 17, 1959 this prolific writer has contributed greatly in the industry of literature by producing number of creative pieces of work throughout his writing career. Franzen was brought up in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1981 he graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in German. His father Earl T. Franzen was an engineer and his mother Irene was a traditional homemaker. He was youngest of three children. Franzen married Valerie Cornell in 1982; they separated in 1994. Currently, Franzen lives with his girlfriend, the writer Kathy …show more content…
Homophobia envelops a scope of adverse mentalities and sentiments toward homosexuality or individuals who are distinguished or saw as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It can be communicated as hostility, disdain, bias, repugnance, or contempt may be in light of unreasonable apprehension, and sometimes a person shows abhorrence due to religious convictions. The display of homophobia also results from the beliefs inlaid in a person by his parents or by peer pressure. Some people saw homosexuality and gays as an unsavory impact towards their masculinity; in their viewpoint homosexuality is a revolting act because by being the champion of LGBT community they are endangering their own masculinity. They favor their male ego and in turn repress their instinctive urges which make appearances now and then through unconscious slip. This same pattern could be observed in Chip’s line of thought. He always thoughts himself to be a womanizer, in the first half of a novel his disdain towards homosexual male is quite obvious from his remarks here and there but in the second half remarkable change in his character could be witness. Those days with Gitanas under the Lithuanian political upheaval opens up new avenues for him. But their budding relationship is cut short before Chip could fully understand this new development. Though however short their relationship might end it gave readers a new insight into Chip’s