48 shades of brown
How we choose to look at life often influences how we live life. This is evident from the outset in Nick Earls' 48 Shades of Brown. This book deals with, in a variety of contexts, the issues of sexuality and identity within a completely modern setting within an old Queenslander in the suburbs of Brisbane. The character of Dan, the main protagonist in this book, is depicted as looking for an identity and trying to deal with his constantly changing worldviews. Earls, through his book, tries to break typical stereotypes that are often portrayed in young adult novels, and he succeeds with his undoubtedly 'loser' character of Dan.The main character of this novel is that of Daniel Bancroft, or Dan/Banger, as he is more affectionately known. This novel deals with the coming of age of this young Year 12 student as he struggles to come to grips with his new found reality where sex romps in the room next door are just as frequent as masturbation jokes at a male only school. Yet, as Dan is to find out, life with the two uni chicks, Jacq and Naomi, may be just what Dan needs to break out of the 'loser' circle.I have to look independent here, Dan states in the opening chapter of the book, and although
Burns is depicted to be the more 'typical' male in that he tries to impress with big words, fancy place names and the size of his appendage. This only provides a small insight into what may be coming with the end of the novel. His move from the beige castle to the old seedy Queenslander takes him further from the made-easy life that his mother, Madge, had for him and more towards the harsh reality that Jacq so desperately wants him to see. Damn right life's not always easy, but don't let that get to you. This shows two things; first, it illustrates the complete trust that Jacq has gained in Dan since the start of the novel. He does not know how to do the laundry or cook, in fact, he can't do anything but sweep the basement floor. Yet, as the book continues, Burns answers seem to amount to nothing, an example being the disastrous 'second year uni' plan for the party. Burns is pictured as a know-it-all friend that has an answer and a plan for every situation, thus, Dan looks up to him and respects him for that. Throughout the novel there are subtle hints to Jacq's true sexuality. It is interesting to note that of all people, she told Dan, a person who knows nothing about women, first. He tries to win over girls, especially the Naomi, with Latin names of birds and pesto. This shows that just because you think a person is cool, it may just be an act and that a person will always gravitate towards similar people, or each to his own, as Madge would say. When Dan first arrives at Jacq, his 22yr old aunts' place, he brings with him no real-life skills. But as he further starts to understand himself, he begins to understand his mother.
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Acceptance Essays
