Essay Questions

What is the significance of the character John in the play Porcelain by Chay Yew?

John is the central character or protagonist of the play Porcelain. He is nineteen years old and he is on the run because police are after him for murder charges. His global compromise is no surprise despite his father giving him the best. For instance, his father is a businessperson and has enroll him into Cambridge. John has a stable job at his father’s business but he is emotionally unstable due to identity crisis. He faces potential prejudice in London because of his sexual orientation. Due to his identity crisis, John hates himself and this makes him make bad decisions. For instance, he decides to be gay but tries to hookup other men unsuccessfully. He finds some solace when he sees a psychiatrist. Thereafter, he congregates Tom and decides to share his challenges with him. Unfortunately, Tom is also insecure, and this makes John hate him because he is not helpful. The play revolves around John to develop the themes of self-acceptance, aggressive homophobia and social injustice.

How does aggressive homophobia emerge as the main theme in the play Porcelain?

John happens to be gay in Britain in the early 1990s when this culture is unacceptable and practiced behind the scenes. The community has not accepted the gay culture and those practicing it are discriminated and avoided by society. John is confused because of his sexuality. John and his lovers operate in secrecy and cottages where they are not seen. John finds it hard to talk of his sexuality openly and this becomes a burden for him to continue bearing. He becomes stressed and forced to see a psychiatrist for guidance. He knows that if people around him including his father knew that he is gay, they will all reject him. The theme of aggressive homophobia helps the reader to comprehend the main challenges that the gay society went through in the years of its inception. However, things are changing because in the modern society the gay culture is seen as a version of modernity.

Do you agree with the assertion that there is failed social justice in the play Porcelain?

It is indeed true that there is failed social justice in the play because of the two primary reasons. Firstly, the police who are the advocates of social justices ironically arrest John publicly. They are aware of his status and sexual identity crisis but they decide to make the situation worse by embarrassing him more and making him feel inferior. Secondly, the society discriminates the gay society by considering it as an evil practice before humanity. John is insecure and has self-acceptance difficulties and what he receives from people around him is denial and rejection. Even the psychiatrist who should help John recover from stress does little to offer assistance. Therefore, there is complete failure of social justice in the play because John is left to solely deal with his difficult situation.