Is it getting hot in here?
It sure is. Although most of the steamy business discussed in Mother Night is situated within the confines of a loving marriage, there's still some risky business going on. We quickly learn that Helga is Campbell's whole world, but we get the feeling that their love may be more indebted to the union of the body rather than the soul. The risky part? Campbell can't tell he's sleeping with Resi—Helga's little sister—and not Helga herself.
Eep.
That aside, it still turns out that sex—specifically sex with Helga—is a pretty important part of Campbell's identity. He's more loyal to her body (well, he tries to be) than he is to any body politic (whether that's the U.S. or Germany). Sex is home to Campbell, and without Helga, he's a man without a country.
Questions About Sex
- What does sex mean to Campbell in the abstract? What does sex with Helga mean to him?
- What is the difference between sex and pornography in the novel?
- What is Resi's relationship to sex?
- Besides the potential for creating offspring, how else is sex a creative act in the text?
Chew on This
Campbell doesn't really love Helga; he just loves her body.
Campbell does love Helga, and sex is one way he expresses it.