Young Mungo

In these chapters, Stuart reveals that Mungo in the countryside is in even more danger than previously thought. It is implied that Gallowgate sexually abused his brother and went to prison for pedophilia. He is not allowed near children, and his own mother turned him into the police. Why does Gallowgate’s mother worry about Mungo’s safety, but not Mungo’s own mother? Why did Mo-Maw involve Gallowgate, who is known to have been incarcerated, to take her son away for the weekend? Mo-Maw’s lack of care in sending Mungo away with dangerous men is tragically indicative of the way she sees Mungo. Mungo, who is devoted to his mother, is seen as a problem that Mo-Maw doesn’t want to solve.

At this point in the narrative of Mungo in the countryside, Stuart approaches the climax of tension. Now, Gallowgate and Mungo are alone. Gallowgate is thinking of killing Mungo, and Mungo has already killed. Neither of them has enough money to take a bus back to Glasgow. Stuart foreshadows an ultimate confrontation between the two and develops tension so that the reader fears for Mungo’s life.

The tension of the chapters in the countryside is juxtaposed with the lightness of Mungo’s relationship with James. Whereas Mungo’s homosexuality makes him even more vulnerable to assault from St. Christopher and Gallowgate, who rely on the fact that he would be too ashamed to report what they have done, Mungo can reveal the truth about his sexuality to James and thus deepen their bond. Both James and Mungo know that they are gay, but they hide it from everyone in their life. James’s father knows about his sexuality, and it causes deep conflict between the two. James’s father believes that James can fix his sexuality by dating girls, which James tries to do to please his father. But James and Mungo both know that they can’t change, nor do they want to although their sexuality is seen as shameful and unnatural. James wants to leave Glasgow, worried about becoming like a target for bullying and worse, like Mr. Calhoun. But James’s experiences also offer Mungo hope about a possible future: James has an outlet via a hotline for gay men, has had some positive sexual experiences, has access to male pornography—which provides information about the specifics of sex that Mungo lacks—and, most importantly, James is clearly aware that life outside Glasgow will offer opportunities for happiness.

Mungo has a healthy sexual awakening with James—they are the novel’s only functional sexual relationship. James and Mungo respect one another’s boundaries and support each other’s sexual exploration. Often characterized as physically and emotionally childish, Mungo now experiments with adolescent sexual desire—a pivotal moment in his coming-of-age story. But James is important to Mungo not just because of sex. James is also kind to Mungo and reciprocates his love and compassion. In James, Mungo finds a lover and a friend.

The novel foreshadows throughout that James and Mungo will be found out and that the bright light of their relationship, a welcome silver lining of happiness in an otherwise extremely bleak novel, will come to a disastrous end. Mungo is in for heartbreak, which the reader knows through Stuart’s use of dramatic irony. There are several obstacles for their relationship. First, being discovered to be gay in their society can lead to violent abuse and social rejection. People in this community are so attuned to heteronormativity that when Jodie and Hamish notice that Mungo is happier, they automatically assume that he has a girlfriend. The second hurdle for their relationship is the gang warfare between Fenians and Prods. Neither James nor Mungo are religious, but their place in society is marked by the kinds of schools they attend and the kinds of people they’re allowed to spend time with. Hamish’s reaction to their friendship is proof that James and Mungo have little hope of being together, as friends or as lovers. Hamish immediately turns to violence, though he can’t explain why he hates the Fenians. Though based on real historical issues, the feud between the Fenians and the Prods is merely a performance of that history. The final challenge facing their relationship is James’s determination to leave Glasgow. Mungo doesn’t want to be without James, and he toys with the idea of leaving school and joining him. But Mungo finds it nearly impossible to consider leaving his mother.

In this novel, Stuart shows how society pressures men into performing heterosexuality. Though Gallowgate is a convicted pedophile of boys, he brags about having sex with women. His tough exterior and loud insistence that he’s a ladies’ man is a mask Gallowgate carefully develops to avoid being seen as gay. James also performs heterosexuality. In an effort to appease his father and make his home livable, James flirts with girls and makes out with them. He pretends to be searching for a girlfriend to avoid the suspicion that he’s gay. The performance of heterosexuality is motivated by societal pressures, and is also the result of internalized anti-gay bias. Though James embraces sex with men, the shame of his sexuality often makes him sick. He warns Mungo not to practice homosexuality too much. Despite the fact that James finds love with Mungo, James sees his sexuality as something to fear and loathe—a sign that his patriarchal and homophobic society has insidiously permeated his sense of self.

Mungo’s world is one of loss. Most devastatingly, what looks from the outside as success or achievement, is perceived from within working-class Glasgow as abandonment. We root for James to escape the neighborhood, but him leaving would devastate Mungo. Likewise, when Mungo’s beloved sister Jodie accomplishes what her society never thought she could—gaining admission to university—her upcoming move away is an elevation in social status and just reward for her hard work and her intellect. However, the win is bittersweet. Jodie can finally free herself from the abuse of her home, but this requires leaving Mungo to fend for himself and Mo-Maw, navigating the mean streets and Hamish’s plans for him without Jodie’s maternal influence. Jodie hopes that her going to college will inspire Mungo to think of a better future for himself. But unless Mungo can acknowledge that the pull of his mother—who symbolizes the dysfunctional pull of his Glasgow roots and community—is not good to him and is undeserving of his commitment, he’ll never be able to escape Hamish’s world.