The Journey by Anne Cameron Essay Example for Free

The Journey by Anne Cameron Essay Canadian writer Anne Cameron (1938- ) was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and raised in Vancouver. She started writing television and theatre scripts and then started publishing novels, including numerous childrens books, stories and poetry. She has published more than thirty books. Among the first novels which she published is â€Å"The Journey† (1982). The main story of this book is the life of two women in the 1800s, under a â€Å"western feminist† standpoint, crossing the Canadian frontier looking for their home. The central characters are Anne, a fourteen year old girl, and Sarah who is a prostitute. Both of them have had hard moments before their runaway; Anne was abused by her drunkard uncle and Sarah was humiliated by a killer sheriff and his group. After Anne escapes she teams up with Sarah and their trip together starts. The novel pictures their journey through the Canadian west, giving detailed information about the landscapes or characters feelings, with particular situations and contrasts like Chinese railroad workers cottages with amazing corridors of Belle’s brothel. They end in the Pacific Coast where they have to finally face with their own past, under optimistic view. The dissimilarity between the two characters is an interesting contrast; Anne was a pure innocent girl and Sarah a prostitute, a rather unusual duo. Cameron approaches the characters’ sexuality in a very particular way. Sarah has a gratifying relationship with a man and then she feels the same with a woman, introducing some doubt about whether she prefers women in general or Anne in particular. The author has said that she thinks of â€Å"pan-sexuality†, preferring not to wonder about a particular person sexual interest. Long before of â€Å"Thelma and Louise† or â€Å"Brokeback Mountain† films, this novel, in a different way, mix up these films topic; in a story about humanity and women in particular, who overcome life’s intricacy, giving significance for their special role in society.