Lust Essay Research Paper In the short

Lust Essay, Research Paper

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 narrator 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

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morning before chapel (259). As you can see, she definitely knows she is doing something that would upset her mother because she thinks of her every time she takes the pill. This causes the reader to believe that perhaps the rebelliousness of her behavior is contributing to her actions.

The environment s convenience and lack of parental control was also a key motivational factor contributing to her promiscuous behavior. In a co-ed boarding school with virtually no supervision, teenagers have a prime opportunity to experiment freely. It was obviously easy to sneak around with boys and not get caught. She states, We hid in the listening rooms during study hall. With a record cover over the door s window, the teacher on duty couldn t look in. I came out flushed and heady and back at the dorm was surprised how red my lops were in the mirror (258). In another instance with a different boy, she states, Simon snuck out and met me at Main Gate after lights-out. We crept to the chapel and spent the night in the balcony (260). You can plainly see that it wasn t very difficult to hide out somewhere if you really wanted to. The parental-free environment as well as the convenience of the co-ed atmosphere was a second contributing motivating factor to the narrator s sexual behavior.

Her friends, both guys and girls, are shaping the narrator s actions throughout the story as well. Her girlfriends always make comments to her when they sit around in the common room that you always have a boyfriend (259). After this comment, she looks at her friends and thinks to herself, As if (p. 259). She obviously believes to herself that none of these guys are actually her boyfriends, but her friends always see her with boys,

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which leads them to suspect that she always has a boyfriend. This may subconsciously tell her that she must always have a boyfriend because it would be strange if she didn t. Also, if the doctor gave out the pill like aspirin (259) then maybe see feels like she has to keep up with all her friends and have sex they like they do. In addition, the boys at her school shape her behavior because they already have a preconceived notion of what they are going to get if they go out with her. They more than likely know how she is and what they can get from her so she is going to be the first girl they go after. Although the reputation she has is her own fault, it is pretty difficult to change when sex is almost expected from her. Also, since according to narrator the worst thing anyone could call you was a cock-teaser (259), if she flirted, she was always prepared to go through with it. These expectations of her from both her boyfriends and girlfriends are another motivating factor contributing to her sexual behavior.

Not only did she have no parental guidance in her life, but it also seemed that the authority figures at her school almost promoted that type of behavior. For example, the narrator states that, the joke was that the school doctor gave out the pill like aspirin. He didn t ask you anything (259). This is absurd to me because instead of giving fifteen year-olds the pill, the doctors should try to at least try to promote abstinence and try to convince the girls that they are not old enough to have sex. Another instance is at the point in the story when the girls went to see the housemother of their boarding school, Mrs. Gunther for advice. When the girls suggested that guys always want something from you and you feel like you have to deliver something, she replied, You do, babies (p.

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262). That com