Funny Boy

In the book’s first chapter, Cyril Uncle remarks to Appa, “[L]ooks like you have a funny one here” regarding Arjie (14). This remark occurs after the adults find out that Arjie has been dressing up in a sari during the bride-bride games. Amma is embarrassed and Appa is outrage. When Cyril Uncle says that Arjie is “funny,” he is implying that Arjie is not quite a typical boy as he likes traditionally feminine activities like dressing up in a sari.

It also is a coded way to imply that Arjie is gay, which is how people talk about homosexuality in a society where open discussion of sexual orientation and sexuality is taboo. However, as a child, Arjie does not understand why he is being ostracized for doing what comes naturally to him, even though that may be different than the way boys have been raised to behave in Sri Lanka. Throughout the book, “funny” functions as a coded symbol of homophobia and the rigid gender norms surrounding expected masculine behavior in a world where queer people and effeminate boys are stigmatized. 

Norms of masculinity and femininity are present throughout this book, and no symbol better captures the tension between the two modes than the book Little Women. When Appa goes to Europe, Arjie asks him to bring back books for him to read—specifically, the sequels of the popular American book series Little Women, which focuses on a family of strong sisters during the time of the American Civil War. However, Arjie worries because his father once said that Little Women was a book that girls—and not boys—should read. Arjie is torn between wanting his father’s approval and wanting to express himself naturally through activities like reading books geared toward women and girls. Therefore, Arjie is surprised when Daryl Uncle mentions that the book used to be one of his favorites as a child. This not only gives Arjie affirmation that it’s alright for him to be himself—you can read books like Little Women and still be a boy—but also creates a bond between Arjie and Daryl Uncle. 

In the chapter “See No Evil, Hear No Evil,” Arjie has dreams in which he likens his family members to various characters in Little Women. He compares his mother to the headstrong Jo, himself to the sick Beth—because Arjie is currently ill—Neliya Aunty to the practical and traditional Meg, his sister Sonali to the vain and childish Amy, and Daryl Uncle to the charming next-door boy Laurie, who wants to be with Jo. However, later in the chapter, Little Women shifts from a symbol of innocent childhood pleasures to adult disdain as Arjie realizes the real world is not as simple as the world in the book. Good does not always triumph over bad, and sometimes the bad guys get away with murder, as seen in Daryl Uncle’s killing.

Arjie is the leader of the girls’ group due to his high level of imagination in creating games like bride-bride, which reenacts a fake wedding sequence. As the leader, Arjie is always given the coveted position of the bride, which he relishes because he can wear a beautiful sari (a traditional dress worn by women in Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries) and transform into another person: “I was able to leave the constraints of myself and ascend into another, more brilliant, more beautiful self, a self to whom this day was dedicated, and around whom the world…seemed to revolve” (5) .

Arjie thrills in being the bride in the bride-bride game because he can unleash a side of himself—his true self—to the world, which he feels is beautiful. He longs to be adored like a beautiful bride. Arjie is not yet aware of how society disapproves of boys who wear feminine clothing, because it means that they might be “funny” or not masculine enough. Bride-bride functions as a symbol of Arjie’s true self and a time when he can be truly comfortable in his own skin as a boy who enjoys traditionally feminine activities. It also serves as a symbol of power, as Arjie is in control as the ringleader of the girls’ group where bride-bride occurs.

Therefore, Tanuja’s attempts to take over control of the bride-bride game and Appa’s efforts to prevent Arjie from playing with the girls are not merely attempts to seize power from Arjie. Their efforts fall into her traditional worldview that a boy cannot be a bride. Tanuja and Appa’s efforts are part of their efforts restore gender relations among the children to the standard, heteronormative order.

There is no room for a boy bride in this world, as we understand when Amma orders Arjie to stop playing bride-bride. As Amma says, “Because the sky is so high and pigs can’t fly, that’s why” (19). The rules of society are set in stone, and we must abide by them. However, Amma does not seem entirely sure of her own words. Moreover, we can see from the fact that Meena leads a team of boys during the cricket matches that perhaps gender norms are not always so rigid for girls, who are occasionally allowed to do traditionally masculine activities like play cricket. However, gender-appropriate activities and behaviors seem to be even more rigidly dictated for boys, out of a fear that doing feminine things makes a boy “funny” or weak. This speaks to a larger fear about sexuality and sexual orientation in this society.

After transferring to Victoria Academy, Arjie recites a poem known as “The Best School of All.” The last two lines of the poem read: “They were great days and jolly days/At the best School of all” (221). Black Tie forces Arjie to practice this poem regularly in his office in preparation for a speech that Black Tie will give following Arjie’s recitation of the poem during a ceremony in front of important government officials. When Arjie fails to recite the poem correctly, Black Tie beats Arjie—and Shehan, who helps Arjie practice—with a cane.

The poem functions as a symbol of power, as Black Tie wields it to oppress Arjie and Shehan. Arjie takes back that power when he intentionally messes up his recitation of the poem to help get Black Tie fired from his post. The poem also serves as a symbol of the hypocrisy of institutions like Victoria Academy, which claims to be a place of happy memories for the boys, but instead, the students experience racism, homophobia and blatant violence at the hands of their peers and instructors.