The concept of a "journey home" resonates deeply in literature, often signifying a return to one's origins, a restoration of balance, or the discovery of true self. While frequently interpreted as a geographical or spiritual quest, this narrative arc also frequently serves as a potent metaphor for the complex, often arduous, process of understanding and embracing one's sexuality. Characters undertake internal voyages, navigating societal expectations, personal desires, and evolving identities to reach a place of authenticity and acceptance, a true "home" within themselves. This essay will explore how this literary trope, when viewed through the lens of sexual identity, reveals the profound connections between place, belonging, and the realization of self, drawing examples from E.M. Forster's Maurice and the contemporary novel Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman.
E.M. Forster's Maurice, published posthumously in 1971, offers a powerful exploration of a homosexual man's coming-of-age in early 20th-century England. Maurice Hall’s journey is explicitly a search for a place where he can exist and love without fear or shame. He grapples with the deeply ingrained societal and religious condemnations of his desires, feeling like an outsider in the very world he inhabits. His initial attempts to conform – to marry and lead a conventional life – represent a deviation from his true path, a departure from his authentic "home." The narrative charts his awakening through his encounters with Clive Durham and, more significantly, Alec Scudder. These relationships, though fraught with social danger and personal risk, are the crucial markers on his journey toward self-acceptance. His eventual decision to leave Cambridge and the life of polite society to be with Alec represents a physical and emotional return to a more honest existence. This isn't a return to a geographical birthplace, but a homecoming to his own identity, a place where his love is not a source of disgrace but a fundamental part of who he is. The "home" he finds with Alec is not a static dwelling, but a dynamic state of being, built on mutual understanding and shared experience, a sanctuary from the hostile external world.
André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name (2007) similarly illustrates the journey home as intrinsically linked to sexual discovery, though in a more internalized and sensuous manner. The novel is set in the idyllic, sun-drenched Italian summer of 1983. Elio Perlman, a precocious teenager, experiences his first profound romantic and sexual awakening with Oliver, an American scholar visiting his family. Elio’s "journey home" is not about escaping societal judgment in the same overt way as Maurice, but rather about the internal process of understanding and articulating nascent desires. The landscape of Northern Italy itself becomes a character, its beauty mirroring Elio's blossoming feelings and the intensity of his experience. The ancient ruins, the shimmering heat, the shared rituals of everyday life – all contribute to an atmosphere where longing and desire can take root. Elio’s initial confusion and hesitation gradually give way to a profound connection with Oliver, a connection that allows him to explore and accept his sexuality. The titular phrase, "Call Me By Your Name," signifies a merging of identities, a point where their individual selves are recognized and validated within their shared intimacy. The novel’s ending, while tinged with the melancholy of separation, emphasizes the transformative nature of this experience. Elio’s summer with Oliver is not just a fleeting romance; it is the foundational moment that shapes his understanding of himself and his capacity for love, a journey that leads him to a profound sense of his own identity, a "home" that he carries within him.
Both Maurice and Call Me By Your Name demonstrate that the journey home, in its most profound literary sense, is often an internal pilgrimage toward sexual self-discovery and acceptance. Forster portrays a journey fraught with external obstacles, where finding a physical space of belonging is paramount to acknowledging an internal truth. Aciman, on the other hand, depicts a more introspective voyage, where the external environment fosters an internal realization of desire. In both cases, the narrative of returning or arriving "home" is inextricably tied to the characters' ability to embrace their sexuality, signifying that true belonging is not merely about place, but about the integration of one's desires and identity into a coherent and authentic self. The literary trope thus serves as a powerful vehicle for exploring the universal human need for acceptance, both from the world and, crucially, from oneself.