Growing up during the time of an uprising war in Sri Lanka, Arjie finds himself on an unexpected and memorable journey towards discovering his inner person. In this novel, Selvadurai writes through the main character's eyes as he describes the struggles that he goes through growing with the violence between Tamil and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, while finding his true self. In the novel "Funny Boy", written by Shyam Selvadurai, Ajrie goes through an internal and external change. Arjie is a homosexual boy who has not yet realized who he is and what his potential is. Arjie has dreamt of weddings and read about love all of his life, but after seeing what happens to Radha Aunty and the kindling being lit for the war on the rise, he finds that he is affected personally, and his views begin to change about love. As the external conflict of the war increases, so does Arjie's self-discovery.
For any person, becoming who they are takes years, and it is not an easy thing to undertake, especially for any homosexual person. On top of the usual feelings of loneliness, isolation, and fear of rejection by family and friends, Arjie is transforming into who he is, but he is stuck with the pressure of a country that is going mad. Arjie has been, and is obsessed with the idea of romance, love, and marriage. This interest, which takes up most of his childhood, leads him to discover and understand more serious aspects of his life, such as his homosexuality and the political tension in his homeland. By reading the novel "Funny Boy", the writer is able to show Arjie's becoming of 'a man' and who he is, by showing us examples from the beginning of the book in the chapter "Radha Aunty" of how he is affected personally by the political instabilities in Sri Lanka. Radha Aunty was different than most of the adults that Arjie had been in contact with, and he immediately connected with her. Arjie had played the game Bride-bride for most of his childhood, and after the fuss that passed by during the first chapter with "Her Fatness" and the game, Arjie was no longer able to play "Bride-bride".