Time to get steamy. For the Lisbon sisters, sex is either totally rejected and suppressed (no makeup, no dating, baggy dresses), or completely out of control (Lux's voracious sexual appetite). There's no middle way, perhaps because the sisters were never given much guidance from their parents about how to manage those emerging sexual feelings that all teens have. The boys are all sexually naïve; they fantasize a lot, but only fantasize. They're intensely interested in sex, and seem in awe of people like Lux and Trip Fontaine, who actually do it. The boys are left to figure things out by examining bras and tampons and all the other mysterious evidence of female sexuality.
Questions About Sex
- How do the sisters differ in their attitudes about sex?
- What do you think triggers Lux's promiscuity?
- What images does the novel use to associate sex with death?
Chew on This
Complete repression of their normal teenage sexual feelings leads to disaster for the Lisbon sisters.
Mrs. Lisbon was right—active sexuality is the real disaster for her daughters, as evidenced by Lux's promiscuous behavior.