Beast in the Jungle by Henry James

1814 Words8 Pages
What is the status of the secret in “The Beast in the Jungle?” Henry James' novella 'The Beast In The Jungle' is one of the works in which he subtly underscores the impact and personal hardship associated with homosexuality. Though never explicitly stated in the text, the relationship between Marcher and May takes on – for lack of a better word - a platonic quality. They never marry, they never engage in sexual intercourse, they never even exchange the three little words ('I love you') that are often a priority and prerequisite of modern relationships. While May at least, has the capacity for an enduring affection for Marcher and continues to be 'the only person in the world'[1] who knows his secret, an equally enduring affection is not realised toward her from Marcher. Such is nature to question why an individual cannot reciprocate that level of commitment, and though Marcher's obsession with his 'rare and strange, possibly prodigious and terrible'[2] secret appears to be all-consuming, it also seems there is another reason why he does not return May's affection; it's not only that he is ignorant and can't recognise an opportunity to reciprocate, but rather he is inherently unable to reciprocate an affection of a perhaps, heterosexual nature. In Sedgwick's essay 'The Beast in The Closest', the historical explanation of 'homosexual panic' supports this notion. During the era against which James' novella is set (the 18th century), 'the continuum of male homosocial bonds [had] been brutally structured by a secularized and psychologized homophobia'[3], meaning the fear toward homosexuality played a crucial role in determining the extent to which males in the community could physically, socially and emotionally interact with one another. Raised within a community such as this, it is understandable why Marcher would have felt the need to repress his homosexuality; a
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