The Quiet American Sexuality and Sexual Identity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Section.Paragraph)

Quote #7

'If somebody asked you what your deepest sexual experience had been, what would you say?'
I knew the answer to that. 'Lying in bed one early morning and watching a woman in a red dressing-gown brush her hair.' (2.2.3.156-157)

Fowler's sexuality extends beyond the pursuit of sexual intercourse, but it's still limited. His deepest sexual experience isn't a deeply personal and intimate encounter with another person. It's a passive moment when he was distanced and disengaged from another. He was doing one thing. She another. In that moment, he wasn't involved.

Quote #8

'For an aging man, Pyle, it's very secure – she won't run away from home so long as the home is happy.' (2.2.3.176)

Phuong and Fowler seem to want the same thing in their relationship: permanence.

Quote #9

'You know, Pyle, women don't want virgins. I'm not sure we do, unless we are a pathological type. (2.2.3.184)

This is Fowler trying to break through Pyle's innocence and idealism with a bit of cheeky British humor. Or we should say…humour.