Alex Tischer's
British Literary Crusade
A blog delving into British texts from the last 200 years
The Other Boat, a short story by E.M. Forster, dives into scandalous water, both literally and figuratively as it discusses homosexual and cross-ethnic love. Set on a ship travelling from Britain to India, Forster showcases those differing cultures, and in his opinion of them, through the dichotomous relationship between the main character Lionel, his mother Mrs. March, and his lover Cocoanut. The entire story can be distilled into opposing sides, with Mrs. March and the fellow white aristocracy onboard upholding the British tradition of white supremacy and constraint, while Cocoanut represents the “third world” tradition of individual freedom and self-expression. England vs. India. Old vs. New. Lionel is ripped at the seams by those forces, his duty pulling him to English ideals and his passion pulling him towards the other. This proves too much for the young man, and the story ends violently with Lionel’s murder of Cocoanut and suicide by diving into that scandalous water I spoke of earlier.
As the ship gets farther and farther away from the British port on its way to India, the pull of English ideal weakens on Lionel, and the man finds himself in bed with Cocoanut where he once was repelled at the sight of him because his skin wasn’t quite so fair. Mrs. March had a similar revelation on her journey back to England from India at the beginning of the book, though she quells her inner curiosity. As she is passing through the Suez Canal and by Jerusalem, “she could not admit that Christianity had ever been oriental. Is it likely that the apostles ever had a touch of the tar-brush?”. Her closeted view is challenged, but not changed by the force that transforms Lionel. Society and the ship, as a microcosm of that society, are sequestered. Colored people aren’t allowed anywhere near the white people, but Lionel’s coincidental pairing with Cocoanut as a roommate enlightens him to the other side. What ultimately leads to the murder and subsequent suicide is Lionel’s realiziation that his responsibility lies with rejoining the exclusive ranks of white division from the other people, and that tension with Cocoanut rises to a lethal level. A Romeo and Juliet-esque affair concludes the abhorrently unchristian short story that Forster so brilliantly created. Cool Links to Check Out - https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/08/books/the-strange-case-of-e-m-forster.html https://www.jstor.org/stable/23124332?seq=1
2 Comments
Katie P
5/30/2020 12:10:13 pm
Great writing! I think that you nailed the analysis of this text. I like that you compared this literary work to Romeo and Juliet. Good Job!
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Julia S
5/31/2020 10:53:27 am
The Romeo & Juliet reference at the end of your analysis was a good touch. The quote you pulled for support was a good one, I think just one more would've been even better. Great job!
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