The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi and The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn - Essay Example

Order 442243 Topic: nature, representation and value of sexuality in The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi and The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn The Buddha of Suburbia: Explicit sex, implicit sex and complete sex—around these issues Hanif Kureishi has structured his novel, “The Buddha of Suburbia.”A secular bureaucrat becomes a suburban guru and makes use of the raw material available in his proximity, his own follower with the bonus of her son, who is a punk rocker named Charlie Hero. Charlie remains true to his profession, improves his prospectus with rapid advancement by plunging into a series of erotic experiences in the capital city, London. How directionless and destination less was the suburban life for the youngsters! Charlie had the additional advantage of the able and valued advice of his ex-guru dad! How simple was the suburban life. Hanif provides an apt description: "We were proud of never learning anything except the names of footballers, the personnel of rock groups and the lyrics to I Am the Walrus.”(p.178) Karim Amir gives the frank self-introduction, befitting the teenager of the 1970s in the suburban London, as “a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it was, having emerged from two old histories” (Kureishi, p. 3). Hanif weaves several other stories, around the life of Karim. He creates situations through which Karim is obliged to react the way he reacts. He has no ideal on which he can build his life in a disciplined manner. He gets wrong idols and Karim makes use of them, as a directionless youngster would! Count his misfortunes/fortunes one by one. His dysfunctional family, his best friend with a rebellious daughter, her peculiar Indian-based friend Changez, Charlie who is the object affection, several theatre actors with whom he has opportunistic relations—Karim’s sex and sarcasm goes hand in hand. Hanif describes the problems of adolescent Karim Amir growing into manhood. How he learns about himself and the world around him and discovers the operative rules of family, work, institutions, society, and culture. Karim Amir’s own schooling proves to be an adventure, quite contrary to the gloomy atmosphere at home. He has affairs with Eleanor, Jamila etc. that provide him much excitement. His companions also teach him sex by example, About Charlie Karim says, “No, Charlie was the cruelest and most lethal type of seducer. He extorted not only sex, but love and loyalty, kindness and encouragement, before moving on. I too would gladly have exercised these master-skills, but …” (p.119) Once Karim’s father receives the official sex-license, the possibilities of business in the line are immense! Hanif describes it in style: “Was his liberation one of Russell’s more striking achievements? For perhaps if Dr. Lal hadn’t been so forthright about sex with his two young and sexually rapacious lodgers, my father wouldn’t have met my mother and I wouldn’t be in…”(p.25) Before aborting the sage hood, what was his condition? Hanif writes, “My father, the great sage, from whose lips instruction fell like rain in Seattle, had never spoken to me about sex.”(p.32)The book can be compared to a big plot, sub-divided into several small plots. The common element that unites the stories of characters is sex. Karim’s father leaves his mother, preferring a London socialite; donning the philosophical garb of an Indian Buddha and admired by upper class white people; modern feminist friend Jamila indulging in sex acts in bathrooms, and being forced to marry a sheepish fat man in deference to the sincere and severe wishes of her father; Karim’s friend Charlie taking up the career of rock star, and sky is the limit for his sexuality and doing odd things to keep the fire of sex instincts aflame and what not! The words sex and penis are so commonly used by Hanif as if they are the playthings of kindergarten children-- rubber and pencil! The helplessness of the middle class to find a proper place to indulge in sex is explained by Hanif thus: “Then she got this thing about wanting to be Simon de Beauvoir, which is when she and I started having sex every couple of weeks or so, when we could find somewhere to go…usually a bus shelter, a bomb-site…”(p.52) In the beginning of the story, Karim says, "I wanted to live always this intensely: mysticism, alcohol, sexual promise, clever people, and drugs."(p.15) He has lived up to his ideals. Look at his candid revelations about his adventurous sex-life. “….she was nibbling my cock, long before any of the foreplay which, as I’d been informed by the numerous sex manuals I’d devoured for years.” (p.187) and more explicitly, “Once there we were offered drugs. I had sex with several women; all that was easier now. I got an agent.”(p.235) And his sincere efforts to transcend the thoughts about sex end up tragically. Hanif writes about such a comic situation, “…breathing my nostrils, my forehead relaxing. But as in many of my meditation, attempts, I was soon thinking of sex and other things…” (p.275) Hanif has dealt with many complex emotions and human themes are revealed to the last detail. He agrees that sex dominates the life of teenagers and more so the old-ager characters of his novel! These are some of the examples: “Mr. Acid Mix and I are in my bed. “I hate sex,” I say, throwing one leg over his thigh. His penis hardens in my hand.”(p.152) and “Months of self-imposed celibacy? I really should take him home. Sex, with a near stranger, oh, boy! He is a perfect candidate.”(p.151) The Gangster of Love What is love? That which is beyond definition is love. Love is like the horizon. If you move towards it, it moves away from you. If you move away from it, it follows you! Love is a bird with colorful wings that remains ever caged in the heart. It moves there with tantalizing speed and turns one a bard. The title of the book itself creates strange and uncomfortable feelings in the heart of a reader. Gangster and love—does it picture the negative side of love? If one is a gangster, is he supposed to be devoid of love? Is his love going to be crude and cruel? All such thoughts creep in the guessing mind of the reader as one turns the pages of the book. And the reader will not be disappointed. The type of love described in the book, is at times, noble and on many occasions borders vulgarity! On the face of it, “The Gangster of Love” tells the story of the Rivera family from the Philippines who have reached to United States, to make a new life. The novel has an interesting beginning on the concept of love. “But what is love? A young girl asks, A fatal mosquito bite, the nuns warn her.”(Prologue….) The female characters in the novel are fascinating, and the male characters are two-dimensional. How the first generation of Filipino takes to the American experience? How the strong cultural boundaries, like ethnic, racial, gender and sexual are destabilized—all such issues are brilliantly portrayed by the author. In orthodox families one doesn’t get an opportunity to discuss sex freely, let alone interact with pals of even age. From Philippines to America was a big leap to the entire family and it was a great exposure on all counts. The negative feelings about sex suddenly turn vibrant and free. Some of the explicit examples about sex and direct experience of sex are: “…forgot what Sister Immaculada at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow had drummed into us in daily catechism class: sex in any form was a mortal sin of adultery the absolute worst.”(p.26) That sort of a fear complex is implanted in the impressionable minds of the youngsters. These cultivated negative feelings about sex will damage the psyche and go to build a perverted image about sex. The guidance provided and views expressed by the elders also count much in the crystallization of opinions amongst the youngsters as for sex. Evaluate Rocky Rivera’s mother’s opinion on sex. “How could I? My mother confessed how much sex revolted her. “Romance is what I crave,” she said, “Sex is for men and animals.”(p.26) What would be the outcome of erecting such rigid boundaries around the subject of love and sex? Rocky Rivera confesses, “My thing about sex got positively morbid. I remained truthful to Elvis; though there were times my thoughts strayed to other remote rebel…” (p.31) This is the result of deliberate and forced suppression about sex issues. Sex is such a subject, sooner or later, everyone will have some comments on it. She opines, “Music, dope, and kinky sex constitute the Holy Trinity for Sly, who could never get used to the concept of responsibility.”(p.141) And the situation may totally go out of control, when sex is suppressed over a long time. She writes, “Months of self-imposed celibacy? I really should take him home. Sex, with a stranger, Oh, Boy! He is a perfect candidate.”(p.151) Conclusion: How difficult it is to control the sexual instincts! You have enough proof of it in the two novels. But true love indeed is sublime. It is the uncontrolled passion that destroys the individual. ************** Works Cited: Kureishi, Hanif. The Buddha of Suburbia: Penguin (Non-Classics); May 1, 1991. Hagedorn, Jessica. The Gangster of Love: Penguin (Non-Classics); October 1, 1997. Read More