Introspecting Homosexual Psyche Through Literary Texts

Abstract

Background: Homosexual rights movements have gained increasing visibility across South Asia, but legal and social attitudes remain uneven. Sri Lanka presents a particularly contradictory context in which same-sex relations remain criminalized while forms of social tolerance also persist. Objective: This article examines the homosexual psyche and the effects of heteronormativity, legal prohibition, and social stigma through Shyam Selvadurai’s novels Swimming in the Monsoon Sea and The Hungry Ghosts . Methods: The study uses close literary analysis of the protagonists Amrith and Shivan, supported by published legal, social, and survey-based secondary data concerning LGBTQ+ lives in Sri Lanka. Results: The analysis shows that prohibition and tolerance coexist in Sri Lanka. The protagonists experience fear, shame, alienation, invisibility, and identity conflict, while their eventual self-recognition also reflects resistance to heteronormative expectations. The novels reveal how colonial-era laws, political structures, family expectations, and social institutions shape the psychological experiences of homosexual individuals. Conclusion: Selvadurai’s novels illuminate the emotional and psychological consequences of living within a society that simultaneously tolerates, stigmatizes, and criminalizes homosexuality.