Essay Questions

Why is Calvin afraid to tell his parents about his sexuality?

Calvin is predominantly afraid about coming out to his parents as he believes that they will react negatively and might even abandon him. He is terrified of their disapproval, and as a result, he feels the need to lie to them. He explains this in the following passage: “I needed them to be there to hide from. Worse than any rejection would be their absence from my life.”

How does Calvin absolve himself from responsibility and guilt about his sexuality?

Calvin reasons that he was born with his sexuality, and therefore his parents should accept who he is: "Biology was fate. If being gay was a trait like eye or hair colour, then ancestor after ancestor had passed this inheritance down to me. It couldn't be helped. I could accept who I was if I had no say in the matter, and in this way, I hoped my parents would understand, all of us released from responsibility."

In this passage, he suggests that he is absolved from responsibility as his sexuality is genetic, and therefore was not his choice or his fault. He uses this as a justification to hope that his parents might accept him.

Why does Elaine lie about going to Stanford?

After being rejected by the prestigious university, Elaine worries about how her parents might react and feels like a failure. As such, she attempts to keep up a pretense of attending the university and ultimately does this because she feels ashamed. In a deeper sense, she feels this way due to unrealistic expectations from her parents.