The Price of Salt, or Carol Chapter 12 Quotes
The Price of Salt, or Carol Chapter 12 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
[Therese] looked at the chunky figures of the two girls at the end of the bar whom she had noticed before, and now that they were leaving, she saw that they were in slacks. One had hair cut like a boy's. Therese looked away, aware that she avoided them, avoided being seen looking at them. (12.60)
This is our first wild lesbian sighting in this book. These two women fit into the lesbian stereotype, wearing men's clothes and men's hairstyle. Why does Therese look away? Is she afraid of being associated with them? Or is she not willing to admit that she feels a kinship with them in some way, so she is turning away from this aspect of her sexual identity?
Quote 2
Therese hesitated uncomfortably. "I just don't feel in the mood for sitting these days." (12.23)
Therese is talking about sitting while Richard paints her, but her words have a double meaning: Therese is starting to become restless. She understands that in order to find herself, she can't sit still, and she can't let Richard define her either.
Quote 3
Richard nodded his long head, still smiling the downward, disgruntled smile. "And you were alone with him, just the two of you." (12.43)
Richard is jealous of Phil, another man, when he should be jealous of Carol. But Richard doesn't suspect that Therese is in such a relationship with Carol. He'll be jealous of her later, though, when he finds out.