The controlling of Nathan

The thing that drew my attention the most in Dream Boy is the number of ways which Nathan is affected by the significant men in his life. In many ways, Nathan is controlled and manipulated by both Roy and his father. His character, throughout the novel, often shows a sense of helplessness and vulnerability because he is clearly not the dominant male figure in his life. Roy is able to control Nathan socially by prohibiting his innocent interactions with others due to his jealousy. We know this is a double standard because Roy finds it acceptable when he does the same, or worse. Nathans father, on the other hand, has placed himself in a predatory role with Nathan often being the prey. His father is clearly the most dominant figure in the household because Nathan’s mother “looks away” from what he does to Nathan. With that being said, Nathan is controlled, in some way, in every aspect of his life, no matter where he goes. Nathan, however, does find his life with Roy to be better than his home life