What does Augie represent?

The author utilizes her character Augie as a symbol for the gay experience before LGBTQ rights were culturally recognized. Augie ran away from home to avoid rejection from his parents and nearly died in an arson fire set during a homophobic attack. While Augie was openly gay, he lived in fear of verbal, emotional, and physical violence because of his sexual orientation. Augie’s narrative highlights the inhumane treatment of queer individuals before the LGBTQ right movement. While August, and other characters, do not live in fear of open harassment, the generations of LGBTQ people before them were not afforded the same acceptance.