Pushed to the Brink

After reading the first half of The Virgin Suicides, I was actually taken aback by how easily I could relate to the text. I agree with Kate that overall, the book is super male-gazey, but I think that's the point. Eugenides does employ a male narrator who is effectively "gazing" upon the Lisbon sisters, however, I don't think this detracts from the novel as a whole. The story is told as a recollection of memories from the boys, and it is only a partial recollection. The narrator tries to piece together any sort of detail he can to do justice to the Lisbon girls' story, but it isn't enough to bring back what was lost. Also, the boys rely heavily on what they see, and what they perceive, but their gaze is only skin-deep. They have essentially no idea what is going on in the sisters' heads and they also have limited access to the Lisbon home. And by default, we have the same limited access.

The book focuses heavily on the boys' intrigue and fascination with the girls from a distance. Both the boys and the Lisbon sisters have only ideas of each other to dwell on because they have so few actual encounters. Mrs. Lisbon is sure to keep their interactions to a minimum, just as she is sure to keep her girls in line. The girls can't wear makeup, they can't affiliate with boys, etc. Mrs. Lisbon traps the girls in isolation and in effect, makes each of them different from the other girls in the neighborhood. Which we all know is, as an adolescent, the worst-possible thing to be-- "different". The girls are all developing into women, but they are deprived of any sort of autonomy in the process, which is sure to cause some tension.

When it comes down to it, their only possible escape is death. Just as Mrs. Buell says on page 15 (about Cecilia) "That girl didn't want to die, she just wanted out of that house..." We already know that all of the sisters are going to commit suicide, and I hypothesize that Mrs. Lisbon is the one to blame. It will be interesting to see as I read further whether it is the girls' isolation that leads each of them to the brink.

-Kayla