Many books and movies have been written of characters who try to assume the role and life of someone else. Some of these swaps become successful learning experiences, while others become violent. The novel Fall is no different from the life swap phenomenon. Noel wants everything Julius has, especially his girlfriend Fall, and now there close friendship only fuels Noels obsession.
When Julius is away from school for the weekend Noel has taken up a habit of dressing in Julius' clothes, smelling the clothes that Julius has worn while with Fall and doing whatever he can to spend time with Fall. Now that Noel is good friends with Julius he has finally started talking to Fall, and she has even asked him to go shopping with her to buy a present for Julius. As harmless as these occurrences may seem to Fall they have become distorted in Noel's mind, every conversation, every smile, every glance has become something more private and sensual then originally intended.
As Julius's and Fall's one year anniversary approaches Fall slips a letter in the boy's room telling Julius to meet her the first day of school after there romantic weekend. Noel sees the letter and decides to hide it from Julius. When the day specified in the letter approaches Noel dresses in Julius' clothes and goes to meet Fall instead. His thoughts become so warped that he has convinced himself that Fall loves him and tries to force himself on her by grabbing her and kissing her, refusing to let go. When Fall denies him he becomes frustrated and violent. He returns back to his room only to have Julius ask him if he has seen Fall.
These few scenes strongly remind me of the movie The Roommate.
Similarities Differences
- Roommate becomes jealous of the other - Takes place in University
- Roommate begins to dress and act like the other - The two roommates are girls
- Roommate begins to act violently - Roommate kills all competition
- In the roommate's eyes, the object of their desire
feels the same way about them
- Friends become suspicious of the roommate
In Elizabethan times, acting was considered immoral for many reasons - one of the reasons being that it involved dressing up and to take on clothes that were outside of your station, or gender, or identity could risk taking on that person's identity: the outside becomes the inside. Can you apply this concept to that scene for Noel?
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