| R. Kelly – Trapped in the Closet Chapter 3 Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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With R. Kelly, Rufus, and Chuck now decidedly “out of the closet,” the situation erupts into conflict and violence. R. Kelly seems incredibly conflicted in this chapter; his initial instinct is to leave, but Cathy manages to convince him to stay by appealing to his curiosity. R. Kelly is both repulsed and intrigued by Rufus’s affair with Chuck; just as Rufus saw elements of himself in R. Kelly, R. Kelly clearly sees parallels to his own situation in Rufus and Chuck’s romance.While he initially agreed to stay in the hope of witnessing an interesting dramatic spectacle, he became more and more eager to leave when Rufus and Cathy began fighting. It becomes clear that R. Kelly has a strange aversion to conflict. Although he could leave at any time (since he has a gun and nothing to gain by staying), he seems to be staying in Rufus and Cathy’s apartment only to act as a mediator. He repeatedly demands that they stop fighting, although their affairs are truly none of his concern. This provides crucial insight into R. Kelly’s character: the combination of habitual infidelity and extreme distaste for arguments among couples suggests that he was the product of a dysfunctional family, probably involving an abusive and unfaithful father. This might explain why R. Kelly demands to be in control at all times. Although he is a Casanova himself, R. Kelly has an obvious aversion to being played. He becomes hurt when it is revealed that Cathy didn’t use her real name when she courted him at the nightclub, even though it has little bearing on his situation. Although he is unfaithful himself, he is stunned when, at the end of the chapter, a man answers the telephone at his house. Insight provided by Dr. David Thorpe |
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| R. Kelly – Trapped in the Closet Chapter 2 Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Already the titular literal closet is done away with, and we see that the title of the narrative refers to broader themes. Most obviously, Rufus was “trapped in the closet” as well; he was carrying out a secret gay romance, but he has exposed it to Cathy and R. Kelly so that they might see that their infidelity cannot make a fool of him. One could also see “the closet” as a metaphor for all the sneaking and deception carried out by the various adulterous characters: the closet is the thing that keeps R. Kelly and Rufus’s adulterous affairs hidden. The chapter starts out with one of the narrative’s most telling expositions of the themes of deception and adultery. Rufus stares at R. Kelly “as if he was staring in the mirror.” In R. Kelly, Rufus sees himself: tricky, adulterous, and cocky. Rufus’s anger at R. Kelly is probably not centered upon the fact that he had relations with his wife, but is more probably a product of Rufus’s own insecurities. In R. Kelly, he sees his ugly reflection. R. Kelly’s uneasy relationship with God is further illuminated in Chapter Two. Upon Rufus’s revelation that he is a pastor, R. Kelly once again tries to use his fair-weather faith to weasel his way out of a difficult situation. He suggests that he and Rufus work out the situation “Christian-like,” but is seemingly unaware of the irony of his statement, considering that he has just committed adultery and is currently threatening a pastor with a gun. Little insight is gained into Cathy’s personality in this chapter. She seems to be overwhelmed with the situation, and her gift for trickery fails her when she is confronted with her husband’s anger and R. Kelly’s needless violent threats. Insight provided by Dr. David Thorpe |
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| R. Kelly – Trapped in the Closet Chapter 1 Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Immediately we are presented with the theme of R. Kelly’s mixed feelings toward infidelity. He scolds himself for being stupid and allowing him to fall asleep at the house of his paramour, but he seems to be more concerned with the danger of getting caught than with feelings of guilt over his own infidelity. He admits to Cathy that he has a wife, but only in an attempt to make her understand that he has to leave immediately. While we are initially led to believe that Cathy wants R. Kelly to stay despite his brusque treatment of her, we soon learn that she is only trying to prevent him from walking out the door because he would be discovered by her husband, Rufus. Her decision to hide R. Kelly and to distract and deceive her husband is as much for her own protection as for R. Kelly’s. R. Kelly states that Cathy’s deception “deserves an Oscar,” implying that she is an expert liar. The theme of deception is prominent in this and subsequent chapters. By the end of the chapter, R. Kelly is prepared to threaten Rufus with a gun in order to leave the apartment. Throughout the narrative, R. Kelly is presented as a thoughtless and thuggish man, set adrift on a sea of troubles of his own making. He often seems remorseless; what regrets he has stem not from the fact that he has hurt others, but from the fact that he has put himself in precarious situations. He urges God not to let Rufus open the closet, but offers no penance for his sins; seemingly, Kelly feels as if he is owed favors by God, despite the fact that he behaves thoughtlessly without regard to the feelings of others. Insight provided by Dr. David Thorpe |
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