Paper Example on Lust Over Love

Lust takes various forms such as lust for expensive things, lust for sex as well as lust for power. It is based on the physical fantasy or attraction and often disappears upon the surfacing of the real character or personality. When a person has the lust for a particular thing, they do not necessarily need the item. They can survive upon the failure of the subject, but however, they do anything to achieve their desire. In this paper, I will discuss the theme of lust. Lust for sex drives the narrator into changing her personality becoming a new being who cannot control her desire for sex. Lust precedes love as the narrator surrenders her body to her friends hoping to fall in love with them, but she gets disappointed in the end.

Pleasure.

The narrator has pleasure for sex as the story defines her having very many sex partners. She seems to lose count of men that she had slept with. The narrator additionally says that she had slept with some of them once and never saw them again for example in the case of Eddie. She, however, seems to enjoy sleeping with Tim and Philip. This is observed when she was enjoying herself with Jamie and all she could think about Tim and Philip. The song played was a flashback to her on the good times that she had with Tim especially on the song "Rolling in the rushes/down by the riverside." However, on the song, "Darkness Darkness," she thought of Philip who had an attractive long hair (Minot, Susan, 2).

Moreover, the narrator describes her sex partner's bodies saying, "Tim's was shaped like a banana, with a graceful curve to it. They're all different. Willie was like a bunch of walnuts when nothing was happening, another's as thin as a thin hot dog. But it's like faces; you're never really surprised" (Minot, Susan, 2). It further indicates that she enjoyed the illicit sexual buzz. She is not afraid of going out with strangers as she joins Mac and Eddie in their pickup to a beach house party. When Eddie leaves for a swim at the beach, the narrator felt disappointed as she sat on a broken box at a window which was broken while smoking. She says that she felt worse waiting for Eddie to get back yet he was a stranger to her. "Isn't the narrator's lust for sex extreme?"

Irony and sarcasm.

Lust for sex in the short story is depicted as an irony to the Christian way of life. The narrators say that the school joked about the provision of birth control pills as if they were aspirins by the school doctor. The doctor never enquired any information from the students as he provided the pills. The narrator says that she was only fifteen years old and took the pills in the morning before attending the mass at the chapel. It appears as ironical as Christianity forbids sex before marriage. Lust is also forbidden in the Christian life as Christian are guided by the Bible to be faithful to their partners. Moreover, the narrator had a plan with Simon to meet at the school chapel at coffee hour. Simon had gone along with the plan and saw her at the chief gate when the glow had gone out. The two had crept into the sanctuary and had their night at the chapels balcony. The narrator further explains that Simon tasted like some onions from the Submarine sandwich. "Shouldn't the school be focusing on education other than providing the pill to young teenagers promoting lust?" Sarcasm is also depicted in the short story as ways of luring the narrator into sex. The narrators say that Oliver had given her a bracelet which was a gift to him from his previous girlfriend. I believe that the gift received by the narrator was a way of luring her into bed. She had however fallen for the trick, and she accepted it even though she knew it was not meant to be hers.

Symbolism.

The narrator uses symbolism in the narration of her story depicting lust for sex. She says that she could feel surrender during some nights when she took wine especially when the surrender would seem to forget them of their presence. She says that to alert them of her existence she could put her nose on their neck just like a squirrel in the aim of feeling secure or at rest. She says that when darkness fell into the room, it created a "cave." A cave symbolizes immoral behavior due to the darkness as one is not recognized. The same case applies to the room as the narrator would have the lust for sex in darkness. She explains that ignorance by the other person in the dark made her form a dim shape like that of a window that made her feel like a cave full of air and emptiness. Moreover, the cave depicts sadness which drives her into having the lust for sex. The school also acts as a symbol for lust in the short story. This is because of the provision of birth control pills which are provided even to young students as the narrator. She says that she and her friend held sex discussions as they talked about boys.

She further explains that sleeping with many boys was not a surprise to either of them as long as they were used to it. Her friends tease her on the boys that she had fallen for, but unfortunately, hers was lust and not love. It is also sarcastic that the school does not notice sex lust that most their students had fallen victim. The narrator says that students broke into abandoned homes or one of the student's home when the parents were not around. They would smoke and get drunk resulting in them sleeping around with people that they had not planned. The headmaster is however sarcastic as he says that he did not care what the students did as long they maintained the school's reputation. This raises queries on the role of the school.

Pain and remorse.

Regret or remorse is a default key of lust. This is well depicted in the "Lust" short story. The narrator says, "After sex, you curl up like a shrimp, something deep inside you ruined, slammed in a place that sickens at slamming, and slowly you fill up with an overwhelming sadness, an elusive gaping worry"( Minot, Susan 3). She says that all relationships start with a flash stare in the eyes like the stars. She says that men look at the girls seriously with a gentle touch. This moves the girls as they want to be swept away with the tenderness and care doing everything that they want. However, this changes after they have slept with the girls. They no longer want to look at the girls and the gaze changes altogether. This is a resultant of lust as people are only attracted to you for sex and once they get what they wanted, they disappear. Physical pain is also illustrated in the short story. The narrator says that the lust for sex drives everyone especially the students into getting permissions during the weekends and attend parties at their friend houses where the boys were always many than the girls. During the fun activities, some of the students would get injured for example Ceci who was wrecked and fractured her head on the handrail needing stitches. Also, Blair Wendel had an accident as she was partying with her friends. She was slashed as she walked through a picture window at the Lowes'. If only the two students remained at home or school, such accidents were evitable. This raises the question, "Do we have to wait and be remorseful as we indulge into lust for sex?"

Although the narrator is the greatest contributor of sex lust in her life, the society and her parents have also had a significant contribution. The story indicates some form of harassment as a little girl. The boys in the neighborhood harassed the girls by tying their ankles and threatened them to show them their underpants else they open the door to the goats shed. The narrators parents on the other hand, did not pay attention to their daughter in her teenage life. At this stage, teenagers are eager to experience real life and are curious on sex. They therefore indulge in sexual behavior to satisfy their curiosity.

In conclusion, lust can always swipe places with love. People can enjoy the pleasure for having sex while in a loving relationship. They can always get one partner whom they love and trust hence be faithful as opposed to the narrator who has very many sex partners. The story is authored in the early years of 1970s. There are however great changes that have taken place especially with the new innovations in technology which have increased the rate of pornographic materials enhancing lust. It is therefore advisable that teenagers should be careful as they are in their active stage of sex and love. They should be wise in choosing love over lust.

Work cited.

Minot, Susan. "'LUST'." (1984): 98-107.