Introduction
The biographical film ‘Before Night Falls’ touches the most delicate strings of its viewers’ soul, describing the tragic and hardship-filled life of the famous Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. The man was raised in a low-income family and decided to support the Cuban revolutionaries who appreciated his talent as a writer. At the same time, he suddenly resolved to issue a national appeal about his non-traditional orientation. However, his former friends and comrades-in-arms, with the famous Fidel Castro at the head, managed to declare a law banning homosexuality and together jailed the young man. For two whole years, he served his sentence in a Cuban prison and developed plans for a new brighter future. After his liberation, Reinaldo Arenas radically changes his plans and escapes to America. Although he found true love there, but the idyll ended with a disease. Thus, it is essential to establish if Reinaldo himself chose his sexual orientation or if it was influenced by various factors.
Social and Cultural Factors that Influenced the Sexual Orientation
Although evidence of homosexuality existed in ancient Greece, humanity has long considered it immoral. Freud’s writings in this area explain the main character’s sexual attraction to his own gender (Gibson et al. 37). In this way, the philosopher wrote that obstacles or the inability to pass a particular stage in life contribute to the development of homosexuality (Gibson et al. 37). The film’s hero suffered from living in poverty and without a father since his childhood. Even when a teacher visited the house to praise the boy’s literary abilities, his grandfather became highly annoyed (Schnabel). At the same time, viewers may notice that Reinaldo Arenas watched men bathe naked for the first time. The main protagonist smiled and looked at the men’s bodies with curiosity. Therefore, it is possible to draw a connection between the problems in the family and Reinaldo’s yet undiscovered desires. At the same time, Freud believed that innate sexual deviations could not affect a person independently (Gibson et al. 38). They were stimulated by social factors, of which there were also plenty in the central character’s life.
The prohibition and persecution of homosexuals and arrests also strengthen Reynaldo Arenas’ sexual instinct. Significantly, even in prison, he believed that he could emerge free and defend gay rights (Schnabel). Carpenter remarked that members of the culture, such as writers, actively advocated for homosexual rights (Gibson et al. 39). He argued that rights and freedoms are valuable for such people, and they are willing to fight for them. Reinaldo Arenas also felt oppression and tried to restore justice in his books. He wrote about the government’s fighting against gay people, although Reinaldo could only publish abroad. As a consequence, the protagonist’s heightened sense of justice and equality, attracted by cultural figures, negatively affected his life. He was persecuted because of the written books banned by the censorship and held in custody as a particularly dangerous criminal (Schnabel). Thus, the concepts cited indicate that Reinaldo Arenas was prone to homosexuality due to the social conditions of his life, and his literary talent contributed to the expression of dissent and the desire to live freely.
The Main Character’s Conscious Choice
It is interesting that the protagonist assessed the consequences of his actions and understood that he would receive punishment. He did not stop writing and did not hide his homosexuality, even when the authorities intensively persecuted gay people. Reinaldo Arenas participated in homosexual parties and frequented public places with gay friends (Schnabel). It seems inappropriate behavior, considering that the protagonist was afraid of being punished and wanted to save his own life. Accordingly, it could argue that he deliberately chose this behavior and its aftereffects. According to religious cultures, sexual relations between people of the same sex need punishment. For example, Leviticus notes that committing such adultery involves mortal punishment (Gibson et al. 7). Hence, religious concepts do not accept homosexuality as a natural phenomenon or caused by social factors. Instead, they consider it a manifestation of sexual promiscuity and a particular individual choice.
From this point of view, Reinaldo Arenas chose a problematic fate for himself when the hero confessed his involvement in homosexuality. Moreover, he had many sexual relationships with different partners, which indicated an amoral lifestyle that stimulated the emergence of AIDS (Schnabel). Therefore, religious doctrines are skeptical of the protagonist’s behavior and confirm that he made a conscious selection. Although the Bible describes a close relationship between David and Jonathan, some scholars interpret this as a manifestation of homosexuality (Gibson et al. 7). Accordingly, the argument that people are automatically born with a traditional orientation and that homosexuality is a personal selection that one can refute. Hence, even this interpretation of scripture by scholars explains that one does not deliberately choose homosexuality.
Conclusion
Thus, Freud would argue that social factors influencing an individual’s formation as a person can affect sexual orientation. The adverse conditions of Reinaldo Arenas’ childhood and adolescence may have contributed to the manifestation of a non-traditional sexual orientation. At the same time, Reinaldo’s literary abilities inspired him to resist the authorities and society. That is why he did not stop writing books and openly declared his gay identity. It was these various reasons why the main character died at a young age after experiencing a great deal of suffering. The biblical argument that sexual orientation is his own decision can people refute because some scholars believe that scripture demonstrates gay relationships. Therefore, the protagonist’s non-traditional orientation resulted from a combination of reasons that subsequently led to his death as a young man.
Works Cited
Gibson, Michelle, et al. Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies. Sage, 2017.
Schnabel, Julian, director. Before Night Falls. Grandview Pictures, 2000.