Character Profile SAM

Sam is a 16 year old gay teenager, studying his first year of A Level at a school in London. Born to lower middle class catholic parents, he/she has grown up in a strictly traditional manner by his/her autocratic, overbearing and often aggressive father who is the dominant figure in the household (his/her mother generally backing up his/her father). Also, youngest son/daughter to another brother, over the course of his/her growth the character has never quite been close to the eldest brother, his/her generally softer personality in conflict with the brothers strong characteristics, much in line with (and inspired by the fathers ideology. These instable family dynamics are heightened to greater extents for the general trend in the family dynamics for high religiosity reflected in the adoption of fundamentalist and extreme beliefs in scripture and teachings of their local priest (who opposes, in hostile terms especially issues of sexuality) in par with addictively destructive tendencies, such as alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviours towards foreigners (especially Indian and black Caribbean people). The result of which a boy/girl whose feelings towards other people of the same sex are heavily marked by strict Catholicism and uneducated bigotry. When Sam was around 14 he/she moved to the current school. This state school, although non-religious, keeps a high code of conduct and strict rules, most of which stem from the headmasters (and staffs in general) sense of Christian morality and belief in a regimental educational approach. At the time, still in the process of discovering about his sexuality (just post-puberty) the character, confronted with the new environment, kept mostly to him/herself. Gradually, as weeks went by, he/she steadily drifted into social acceptance mainly due to the generally sympathetic groups of people he/she encountered daily. Eventually, Sam was integrated into a group of friends within common expectancies, keeping his now more recurrent thoughts of a sexual nature to him/herself, as he became ever more sexually aware of him/herself. This became habit to Sam, enjoying the simple delights of friendship, stressing over schoolwork and copping with family affairs at home, by him/herself. All manageable circumstances. The character, since birth, maintained a pre-disposition for an almost pathological inhibition. At 15, his/her introvert personality was, in the characters mind, much more at ease, Sam being socially integrated at school. However, now in adolescence, he/she was in full awareness of his/her body and sexuality, thoughts of desire for others (of the same sex) popping into his/her head. Due to the social pressures of his family and school life he/she rejects these thoughts, forcing upon him/herself an extraordinary self-discipline. This practice brings painfully supresses Sams sexual urges which ultimately the character to explore the neighbourhood. Sam finds his/herself in the local, well-known, gay pub in which the character would eventually encounter his/her first sexual experience. Despite managing to supress the feelings, his/her, whilst walking into the establishment, and engaging in light drinking, eventually loosens up and feels ever more comfortable and accepted in this foreign place. As weeks pass, more and more sam visits the location, catching the eye of some of the regulars. One evening, Sam is engaged in

conversation and flirt and, late into the night, as his/her state slowly becomes ever more inhebriated, he/she goes with the wo/man to his/her apartment, where they Sam loses his/her virginity. Weeks past and the characters insecurities towards his/her sexuality became less heavy, meaning he/she began to build more confidence within him/herself. Sam continued in touch with the person from the pub, meeting often and having sex. At home and school everything maintained the same, Sam being very discreet and careful when meeting, forming the relation without anyone knowing. This, of course, is disrupted finally when, one afternoon, as all his/her friends sit around in the common room, discussing typical teenage frivolities, one of Sams friends playfully snatches his/her phone from her/his hand as Sam texted to the friend from the pub. Reading the texts, the protagonists friend is in amused shock and, outing Sam to the rest of the group, rejects him/her in a humiliating fashion which brands Sam as a laughing and hating stock in school. Pressured in this way, Sam is soon bullied. This is where we find our narrative.