Chapter 2, pages 61-100 Summary

The narrator considers the impressions and associations that define his memory of Omi. He can't imagine that he was the only one who so appreciated the obvious strength and beauty of Omi. The narrator ponders Omi's secret air of superiority, attributing it to a continual frustration of will. The boy imagines that Omi is driven to some purpose, unaware of the vast conspiracy aligned against him. The boy regards Omi as possessed of an unconscious perfection, and fears that he will betray that perfection by behaving in a way contrary to his expectations.

The narrator admits that he has so idealized the memory of Omi that he can no longer attribute to him a single flaw. Rather, Omi has become the narrator's standard of male perfection. For this reason, he is only attracted to large, rough, muscular men who...