Portrayal Of Love And Growth In Call Me By Your Name

Abstract

This essay explores the different literary techniques Andr Aciman uses to convey the theme of romantic relationships motivate growth in Call Me by Your Name. It examines with a New Criticism lens, the style and the various literary devices the author utilizes to reflect how the love affair between the protagonist and his love interest influences his development in multiple levels. Elio, the protagonist is the epitome of a cynical teenager, and starts to develop his character as an individual thanks to Oliver the summer guest.

In multiple scenes in the beginning Elio reflects upon how Oliver modified the cultural setting, and consequently made him a better version of himself. Elio eventually finds himself exploring Oliver s personality by taking part in his hobbies, and starts to modify his lifestyle. Elio finds that he admires the way Oliver thinks and does, and eventually Oliver becomes Elio s role model.

Elio starts to explore his more emotional side in Aciman s recharacterization of him as sentimental in recalling his memories with Oliver. Elio with the romantic feelings he has for Oliver, starts to develop his identity and understand his bisexuality. With the manipulation of certain love-related metaphors Aciman portrays Elio s growth in interests and the evolution of his reason to be. Aciman employs repetitions and rhetorical questions to establish Elio s sexual awakening and the development of his sexual maturity.

Research Question

In what ways are homosexual relationships depicted as a method of personal development in Andr Aciman s Call Me by Your Name?

Introduction

Andr Aciman named the second part of the novel Call Me by Your Name Monet s Berm. The novel makes a constant tribute to Monet physically portraying places where Monet painted some of his pictures, and using an impressionist writing style. The importance of smaller details become unclear due to an ambiguous narrative voice, and the purpose can only be understood when finishing a structural part of the novel. The little town in Italy which is not named even in the novel takes on an emotional atmosphere, and acts as a paradise where this 1980s homosexual romance could blossom without homophobia or prejudices. This little town in northeast Italy is utopian due to its isolation and the liberal and friendly nature of its people. This novel is considered a coming-of-age novel, and focuses on how the house guest of the summer, Oliver impacts the protagonist s psychological growth and helps him find answers to life s questions. Aciman develops the theme of romantic relationships lead to personal growth through an impressionistic style, and the employment of syntactic parallelism, metaphors, juxtapositions, rhetorical questions and repetitions.

Aciman approaches the social and physical setting with impressionistic style, the use of emotional connotations and an ambiguous narrative voice. It is a method to imply the narrator s nostalgia to his amorous formative years, which reflects the author s belief that romance culminates growth. Elio, the seventeen-year old protagonist sets the scene upon the arrival of his love interest, I shut my eyes, say the word, and I m back in Italy, so many years ago, walking down the tree-lined driveway sunglasses, straw hat, skin everywhere It might have started right there and then (3). An ambiguous narrative voice (an impressionist feature) is clearly indicated in the phrasing of so many years ago and it might have started, which builds nostalgia towards the narrator s youth. With the listing of nouns, sunglasses, straw hat, skin everywhere the beach-like positive lexicon brings an emotional connection to the time of may years ago back in Italy , and is manipulated to demonstrate the role of love in one s coming of age. In the beginning of the novel, Elio describes why Oliver, the twenty-four-year old Columbia professor, changed his summer, on every song that was a hit that summer, in every novel I read during and after his stay forever colored by the events of this summer (10). With the repetition of every to refer to the songs and novels of that summer that Oliver changed, Aciman implies how the mere presence of one s love interest can cause one to flourish into maturity. The sentimental tone of forever colored marks how the romantic affairs of one summer can modify one s entire upbringing.

The author employs syntactic parallelism to suggests the idea of romantic experiences being used as a method to realize one s identity, establishing Elio s interest of Oliver as a journey of personal development. Elio contemplates upon Oliver s interests to find his own, I had put reading last on my list reading would figure last on his I remembered that he had just finished writing a book I had all along, without seeming to, without even admitting it, already been trying__and failing__to win him over (7-8). Conveying a tone of realisation in I had all along and I remembered that to emphasize the modification of his own behavior to adapt to that of Oliver, consequently reflecting a maturation in terms of daily habits. The author creates the parallel structures of last on my list and last on his , followed by without seeming to and without even admitting it to portray Oliver as a role model that Elio wants to replicate, and find himself. Elio contemplates why he loves Oliver, that someone else in my immediate world might like what I like, want I wanted, be who I was (25). In the syntactically similar phrases of like what I like, want I wanted, be who I was Elio becomes aware of his own identity. Aciman attributes a grateful tone to someone else in my immediate world to point towards a sexual awakening that in many cultures is a sign of coming-of-age. Elio starts to fantasize about Oliver at night: Is it your body I want to slip into it and own it as if it were my own You in me, me in you (68). The intimate tone intended in own it and as if my own enriches the antithesis of you in me, me in you that demonstrates certain level of maturity. This sexual flourishment is only possible with the existence of a lover. During Elio and Oliver s sexual encounter, Elio elaborated, I loved the egalitarianism of the moment. I loved feeling younger and older, human to human, man to man, Jew to Jew (132). The anaphora of I loved upholds the paradox of feeling younger and older, young in the sense that he is discovering his sexuality, and old in the sense of feeling as mature as Oliver. This complex shows how Oliver is influencing Elio s transition from youth to adulthood.

Aciman presents different types of metaphors, including personifications and similes to illustrate that passion generates maturity in preferences and philosophy. During Oliver s first days staying with Elio s family at the little town in Italy, they were conversing at the dinner table. Elio recalled, He immediately laughed and recognized the veiled allusion to Carlos Levi s book. I like how our minds seemed to travel in parallel, how we instantly inferred what words the other was toying with but at last moment held back (9). With a lexicon of speed illustrated by adverbs immediately, instantly, and last moment to support an instant acquisition of refined tastes from Oliver. Their minds are personified to be entities with the ability to travel in parallel to imply that in a relationship one is introduced to a different worldview, and Elio is appropriate adult-like thinking from Oliver. Elio attempts to make Oliver jealous after gushing the fact that he almost slept with a girl from town, Marzia. Oliver protested, try again later I repeated his phrase as if it were a prophetic mantra meant to reflect how he lived his life and how I was attempting to live mine nether truth that had hitherto eluded me, about me, about life, about others, about me with others (51). The author exaggerates in comparing (with a simile) the phrase considered with ordinary diction of try again later to the cultured diction of prophetic mantra. This exaggeration demonstrates how Elio absorbs such a minimal phrase to be his philosophy of life, further developed by the parallelism of how he lived and how I live. Moreover, Elio starts transforming into a more grown up and courageous version of himself thanks to Oliver by the rising action of the novel. He confesses his feelings to Oliver, he elucidates, I was treading water I could swear it lay around us, the way we say of a necklace we ve just lost while swimming (72). The metaphor of the necklace is postulated to resemble Elio s truth, the fact that he recognizes that he is pursuing love and searching for his identity and swear it lay around is a sign of growth.

With the motif of portraying romance as a process of mimicry, the idea of relationships as a method of self-discovery is established. Elio starts describing their routine of swimming and running, I liked when out feet were aligned, left with left, and struck the ground at the same time, leaving footprints on the shore that I wished to return to and, in secret, place my foot where his had left its mark (11). A competitive diction is manifested in aligned and same time to activate kinesthetic imagery of left with left, struck, and leaving footprints to hint at a tone of tenderness in in secret, I wish, and my foot where his had . The author evinces the pattern that one has to physically act almost indistinguishable to the other, to be in love, coupled with the idea that loving is for the sake of becoming a better person. When Oliver wonders if Elio wants to go for a swim, Elio responds with, Later, maybe, I said, echoing his word but also trying to say as little as possible before he d spot I was out of breath (24). Later, maybe is Oliver s way of expressing farewell and Elio completely reciprocates it echoing his word. The author also selects a cautious diction confirmed by trying to say as little as possible that heightens a passionate tone suggested with out of breath. All to the literary effect of defining love as a move towards Oliver s level of maturity, since Elio fully imitates the way he acts and talks. Even after Oliver leaves and the summer is over, Elio sighs, I was thinking, instead, of Emily Bront s words: he s more myself than I am I think he was better than me, Papa (223). Aciman maintains the paradox of more myself than I am to produce a vulnerable tone with I think and Papa, that advocates for the idea that loving is finding the ideal version of oneself or encountering who one should look up to.

Andr adopts juxtaposition in the characterization of Oliver and Elio s father to unfold how love is a way to encounter new emotions, and emotions are necessary to improve oneself. In the beginning of the summer Elio and Oliver spent together, Elio gives a preliminary interpretation of Oliver, this willful but accommodating, laid-back, water-over-my-back, unflappable, unfazed twenty-four-year-old who thoroughly alert, cold, sagacious judge of character and situations. Nothing he did or said was unpremeditated (20-21). By the author s statement via the narrator Oliver is first directly characterized as relaxed with descri ptions suchs as, laid-back and unfazed that is contrasted with characterizing him as attentive, which is elucidated by alert and judge. The novelist accentuates the tone of admiration with sagacious and nothing unpremeditated to distinguish Elio s intentions to mirror Oliver s qualities, and adapting these characteristics using this relationship as a tool to self-improve. After Elio s heartbreak following Oliver going back to the United States, his father indoctrinates Elio with his understanding of emotions developed in romance: Most parents would hope the whole thing goes away But I am no such parent if there is pain, nurse it But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything__what a waste! (224). The juxtaposition between what most parents want and what he wants characterizes (by speech) him as extremely compassionate. There is a situational irony portrayed in pain, nurse it, since the reader naturally sees pain as something negative, but the novelist proposes experiencing such emotions as the main purpose of being in a relationship.

The novelist approaches rhetorical questions to evaluate if intimacy with another person can be used as a method of self-evaluation to renew your identity for the better. When Oliver criticizes a journalist, Elio extolled, How could anyone intuit the manner of someone s thinking unless he himself was already familiar with the same mode of thinking? What struck me his ability to intuit things in exactly the way I myself might have intuited them (22). Aciman provides a tone of desire with how could anyone and exactly the way I to show how Oliver s model of thinking was what Elio aspired to have. Elio is shown worshipping Oliver s ability to think empathetically in another person s point of view. The narrator is manipulated into enunciating rhetorical questions to enter a state of self-assessment, and Oliver is the ideal he wants to achieve. Elio is infatuated with Oliver s personality, and by the end of July, nearly one month into Oliver s stay, Elio asks himself, Did I want to be like him? Did I want to be him? Or did I just want to have him? (67-68). With the repetition of did I want to be a tone of uncertainty is formed to assimilate possession and imitation to a better persona. The author supplies rhetorical questions to discuss if possession of another always presents the outcome of becoming a better person. Elio relates a war memorial to his relationship with Oliver, At one hundred, surely you learn to overcome loss and grief At one hundred does anyone remember? (74). Aciman forms a contrast in the hopeful tone of surely you can and the devastated tone in the rhetorical question of does anyone remember? Aciman envisions the idea that by the means of this relationship, Elio enters an existential reflection about oblivion and loss, and is opened up to learning about agonies of life. Waking up together at six o clock to go for a swim, the narrator divulges, I wanted to hold him Why did I feel older than he was at that moment? I wanted to protect him from everything this morning, from the rocks, from the jellyfish (156). The author s gentle tone expressed by hold him and protect him demonstrates how this relationship is developing Elio into a mature dependable person. The rhetorical question regarding age is established to manifest the idea that this relationship is enabling Elio this relationship to feel superior, and to blossom into an adult.

The author argues that intimacy leads him to explore his sexuality as an improvement in self-awareness with repetitions to emphasize. During the intimate moments between the two characters, Oliver and Elio, to argue for the theme. When asked what was on his mind, Elio responds, I was dying to tell him. Private, I replied. So you wont tell me? So I won t tell you So he won t tell me, he repeated pensively (27). The dramatic irony of the reader knowing that Elio is dying to confess his love to Oliver, but Oliver is left in ignorance, completes the meaning behind the three-time nearly exact repetition of the same phrase. Aciman envisions a coquettish tone in the last repetition of so he won t tell me and by echoing this phrase pensively, which displays how Elio is beginning to come to terms with his infatuation and consequently building his own identity. Elio and Oliver have an extensive conversation about Chiara, Oliver s initial love interest, and Elio further uncovers how much he longs for Oliver. Elio fretted, Speechless, I would have admitted things I hadn t mapped out for myself Speechless, I would have gotten to where my body longed to go (54). A juxtaposition of hadn t mapped out and longed to go, the contrast between knowing or not knowing what he wants adds to the emphatic effect of the repetition of speechless, I would have. This repetition highlights Elio s internal polarization, contradictory impulses make him identify his desires to progress as an individual. During sexual intercourse with Oliver, Elio expresses, From this moment on I d never before in my life of wanting this forever, of being me, me, me, me, and no one else, just me (133). The author makes the narrator appropriate a diction of novelty in moment on and never before to emancipate a tone of satisfaction in wanting this forever and establish a sexual discovery. Aciman proposes the repetition of me intending to proclaim that intimacy is a tool used to find your identity.

Conclusion

Through an impressionistic style, and the employment of syntactic parallelism, metaphors, juxtapositions, rhetorical questions, and repetitions: Aciman conveys the theme of intimate relationships produce personal growth, as a defense of homosexual love. Andr Aciman a completely heterosexual male is writing this novel to manifest and create empathy for homosexual love in a world with 10 countries where homosexuality is punishable by death. Aciman wants to challenge the traditional heteronormative view of love and affection, and utilizes a first person narrative voice to achieve an intimate level of acceptance in the reader. The author is standing up for LGBT rights as an ally, portraying the coming-of-age of a teenager with struggles for acceptance and building a queer identity through sexual expression. Aciman presents a 1980s society without homophobic oppression to benefit the gay community in societies where it is to this day still considered unnatural or even illegal to be gay. The reader normalizes the queer subtext and starts considering gay issues as universal human issues of love and development.

Works Cited

Aciman, Andr . Call Me By Your Name. 3rd ed., Atlantic Books, 2009.