A Single Man: A Novel

Similar to his earlier decisions, George impulsively walks down to the ocean and reminisces about his and Jim’s life after World War II’s end. His nostalgia propels him to visit a beachside bar called The Starboard Side. He sits at his favorite table and spots Kenny writing at the bar. George approaches a surprised Kenny, who tosses his writing aside. And yet, Kenny says he came to the bar specifically to find George and knows where he lives. The “talking head” suggests that George invite Kenny over for the night. George is already drunk but drinks with Kenny and enjoys their conversation. George describes it as a “symbolic encounter [...] [where] even the closest confidence, the deadliest secret, comes out objectively as a mere metaphor or illustration, which could never be used against you” (124). Comfortable, both men fall silent and beam at each other until George breaks the silence by bringing up death. Kenny, in his youth, rarely thinks about death. The two become more and more lost in philosophical thought and feel a connection forming between them. Kenny asks what it’s like to grow older and mature, and George explains that there is no such thing—people just get sillier. To test George, Kenny suggests they go swimming in the ocean, and he accepts.

George describes the next moment in vivid detail, from the way Kenny’s “face [is] still lit by the boardwalk lamps” (131) to the evolution of their relationship from a symbolic one to a real one. They dive into the ocean, and Kenny becomes “a water-creature absorbed in its element” (132) while George struggles to stay afloat amid the tremendous waves. Finally, George gives in to the power of the ocean and feels pure, like his very self is being washed away. Kenny drags him out of the water. George is amazed and aroused by Kenny, both of them naked and wet on the shore. Kenny invites himself over to George’s house, and the two get dressed and walk home; Kenny jests to George that “They ought not to let you out on your own, ever. You’re liable to get into real trouble” (134).

As George sobers up, he becomes self-conscious and tries to act polite—but when Kenny starts making sexual noises in the shower, he becomes aroused again and dresses in a bathrobe. He meets Kenny in the kitchen, who is wearing nothing but a blanket. The two eat and flirt for a while, and George starts another rant. He concludes by demanding Kenny take off his robe, but then passes out from too much alcohol. When George eventually wakes, Kenny is gone and left a coy note asking to see him again. George masturbates to the thought of Kenny, but it upsets him, so he imagines the tennis players at school instead, and begins to calm down and drift off to sleep.