There were a few prevalent themes that were portrayed in Torch Song, like unrequited love, yearning for normalcy, and the struggle of identity.
The theme I was able to connect to in the most intimate way was the yearning for normalcy. The play portrayed the idea of “normalcy” through Arnold, Ed, and the mother and therefore gave the audience three different perspectives of what “normal” may mean.
Arnold wanted a husband or a lover that could live up to his potential, the “international stud.” He had created this image of an ideal man after being disappointed by so many men, and for Arnold, being with this man would be perfect. This is what he wanted out of his life.
Ed, on the other hand, wanted the perfect wife. The one he could settle down with and have kids with. Ed, similar to society, found his normal life to be with a wife, kids in upstate New York. Basically, everything he didn’t have with Arnold.
Similarly, the mother wanted Arnold to be “normal.” She wanted him to be like the other men who weren’t gay, had families and were respectable in society. She wished that Arnold could provide her with grandchildren and basically a legacy that she could be proud of.
The ironical thing throughout the play is that the characters get the polar opposite of the “normalcy” they crave and it all works out.
Arnold got Ed, who couldn’t be more in the closet about who he was, and was not proud to be with Arnold. Arnold desired a man who could provide him with emotional and physical support and instead gets a man who abandons him for a woman because he wants to be “normal.” However, through this disaster with Ed, Arnold learns to become independent and he realizes he doesn’t need a man to make his dreams come true. He adopts a son on his own and starts fulfilling his dreams on his own.
Ed gets Laurel, who is everything that Ed supposedly wants but that just proves to him that “normalcy” is not what Ed wants. Through the marriage and subsequent struggles with Laurel, Ed realizes that he is gay, and that is ok. He accepts his sexuality and he accepts that he truly loves Arnold.
The mother has Arnold for a son, who embodies everything she believes to be abnormal. However, this causes her to partially accept Arnold, specifically the idea that he is not going to change because of her. Furthermore, she does receive a grandchild, just not in the traditional way, and she has to learn to accept that.
I connected the most to this theme of desiring normalcy because what I desire is against the normalcy of society for the most part. Therefore, it feels like this constant swim against the current, similar to Ed’s struggle for most of the play. However, this play really shines a light on the concept of things always work out and we get what we deserve. I believe this concept does really play out in life, and never giving up for what we believe in does lead to something good in the end.
