A Single Man: A Novel

Similar to his earlier decisions, George impulsively walks down to the ocean and reminisces about his and Jim’s life after World War II’s end. His nostalgia propels him to visit a beachside bar called The Starboard Side. He sits at his favorite table and spots Kenny writing at the bar. George approaches a surprised Kenny, who tosses his writing aside. And yet, Kenny says he came to the bar specifically to find George and knows where he lives. The “talking head” suggests that George invite Kenny over for the night. George is already drunk but drinks with Kenny and enjoys their conversation. George describes it as a “symbolic encounter [...] [where] even the closest confidence, the deadliest secret, comes out objectively as a mere metaphor or illustration, which could never be used against you” (124). Comfortable, both men fall silent and beam at each other until George breaks the silence by bringing up death. Kenny, in his youth, rarely thinks about death. The two become more and more lost in philosophical thought and feel a connection forming between them. Kenny asks what it’s like to grow older and mature, and George explains that there is no such thing—people just get sillier.