Sex is the mega-theme of this story. That's what they're talking about, in between the lines, isn't it? They're talking about getting down to business—if they can ever stop squabbling. It's the major joke of the story—the fact that this couple is talking about sex without ever really directly talking about it.
But what is Parker saying about gettin' it on? Is it the central part of human relationships? What does it have to do with love? Sex is like that—full of quizzical worries and queries tossed off into the night with (hot, sexy) abandon.
Questions About Sex
- What's preventing this couple from talking openly about sex?
- Is sex the great solution—will consummating the marriage change everything and make them both happier?
- Are there deeper problems in this relationship than anxieties about sex? If so, what are those deeper anxieties? And who has them—the husband, the wife, or both?
- How are sex and love related? Is this couple in love?
Chew on This
"Here We Are" suggests that George Michael's lyric "Sex is natural, sex is good. Not everybody does it, but everybody should" is true.
"Here We Are" suggests that Arthur Schopenhauer's statement that "[Sex] destroys the most valuable relationships, breaks the firmest bond, demands the sacrifice sometimes of life or health, sometimes of wealth, rank, and happiness, nay, robs those who are otherwise honest of all conscience, makes those who have hitherto been faithful, traitors; accordingly on the whole, appears as a malevolent demon that strives to pervert, confuse and overthrow everything" is true.