How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
[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 #8
"Acquired tastes are always more pleasant—and hard to get rid of." (14.87)
This is an interesting way of putting Therese's same-sex desires. Carol makes it seem like Therese wasn't "born that way," as many LGBTQ people think of it today. Carol acts like it's something she and Therese learned. Can a same-sex desire be an "acquired taste"?