https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i3.074
Desire on the Move: Mapping the Performative and Semiotic Expressions of Same-Sex Intimacy in Prathyush Parasuraman’s “Two Bi Two”
ABHIRAMI S.
Research scholar
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Devagiri
Affiliated to the University of Calicut
DR. MONCY MATHEW
Professor
Department of English
Government Arts and Science College, Calicut
Abstract: The paper makes an attempt at elucidating the performative, semiotic and spatial dimensions of same sex intimacy in the light of Prathyush Parasuraman’s short story “Two by Two” which is set in the transitory space of the ‘two by two’ compartment of a Mumbai local suburban train. In Parasuraman’s narrative, train functions not merely as a mode of public transport, but also as a contact zone that offers an arena for queer sensual expressions. The story brilliantly captures how the public mechanical interior of the local city train affords a space for queer romantic performances, by circumventing the dominant heteronormative gaze of the city. It tries to argue that, as a transitory counterspace which disrupts the dominant heteronormative ideologies of the city, the ‘two by two’ represents a unique intersection of queerness, desire, and mobility. The paper also attempts to explore the ‘closeted’ dimensions of same sex desire within the commuter corridors of Mumbai’s urban landscape, as portrayed in the story. The study also probes into how the story depicts the manifestations of same sex desire in the realms of space and language.
Keywords: Closet, Performativity, Semiotics of Desire, Same Sex Desire
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