Lust

A detailed Summary of Lust

In the short story "Lust", the narrator talks in detail about her sexual promiscuity and the various boys she has slept with while away at boarding school. Throughout the story, there are several motivating factors that contributed to the narrator's sexual behavior. At first, her behavior began because she was away from her parents and it was new and rebellious. The second motivating factor was the environment she was in while she was at boarding school. Her friends, both guys and girls, contributed to her behavior as well. Also, the lack of concern by the authority figures played a part in her decisions. Finally, her search for love and security, or an emotional connection with these boys played a big role on her actions. All these motivating factors played a huge role in contributing to the narrator's sexual behavior.

The narrator's behavior began because it was new and rebellious. All teenagers go through a stage in their lives when they begin experimenting with various things such as drugs, alcohol, and sex. These acts so exciting at first because they are new and exciting, but more importantly, because your parents have no idea what you are doing. This is what sparked off the narrator's sexual behavior. The narra

tor comments, "My parents had no idea. Parents never really know what's going on, especially when you're away at school most of the time"(257). This comment by the narrator suggests that having sex with these guys is so much more fun and exciting because her parents didn't know what she was doing. She obviously knows that her actions would disappoint her parents, especially her mother because she states, "I kept the [birth control] dial in my top drawer like my mother and thought of her each time I tipped out the yellow tablets in the

There is plenty of evidence, however, to suggest that despite all of these motivational factors, she felt very empty, worthless, and like a piece of meat before, during, and after her encounters. During her encounter with Tim, when he returned to her after closing the door, she referred herself as a "body waiting on the rug"(257). This clearly suggests that she doesn't think she is anything more to him other than a body he can do what he pleases to. She states that you "start to get tired. You begin to feel diluted, like watered-down stew"(260). One would think that if she feels that diluted and less pure after she has sex with these guys then she should probably stop, but it's not that easy. Near the end of the short story she comments, "You wonder about things feeling a little off-kilter. You begin to feel like a piece of pounded veal"(262). She also states, "After sex, you curl up like a shrimp, something deep inside you ruined, slammed in a place that sickens at slamming, and slowly you fill up with an overwhelming sadness, an elusive gaping worry"(262). It is clear that by the end of the story, she isn't even enjoying her experiences anymore, however, it just might be too late to turn herself around.

causes the reader to believe that this search for love is an other motivational factor contributing to her behavior.

262). That comment alone suggests that sex is basically the only thing that women are good for. What Mrs. Gunther did by that comment was reinforce to the narrator that sex is the only thing that guys want. Finally, when the headmaster received complaints about her "amorous displays on the town green"(261), he told her that he didn't care what she did so if she's going to smooch with her boyfriend, there are "twenty acres for you to do it out of the public eye"(262).

Finally, her search for love and security, or an emotional connection with these boys played a big role on her actions. It is possible that she doesn't think that she good at anything else and she has nothi

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1726
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels