Although The Price of Salt strays from the traditional lesbian pulp fiction format, Patricia Highsmith depicts lesbianism as a disease because, at the time, many viewed it as a pathology or mental disorder.
Sounds a bit wordy... But I'm looking through clouded lens, so feedback would be welcome.
Now for the project narrative.
At many times in the book, Highsmith uses disease-like diction so I would be able to start many of my small claims off of that. Moreover, Highsmith talks about lesbianism (for at least a huge part of the book) as if there is a cure for it; Richard says Therese will go back to normal, the reader believes that Therese will be saved by Richard or Danny, etc.
To support my second point, I could relate to Therese's many mood swings. Her mental instability bolsters the fact that she has a diseased mind, and before she became a lesbian, Therese was relatively stable.
Another nice claim to use would be to show how many of the minor characters treat lesbianism as a contagious disease. At this point, this is a relatively unsupported claim, so some help would be appreciated. So far, I would use how Harge does not want Carol near Rindy or how Richard wants to never see Therese again.
I know some of these claims seem a little far-fetched, but I really think I can make this work.
Let me know what you think.
--
Farhan Khan
2 comments:
Very good ideas for your essay! Perhaps one thing I want to briefly point out, though, is your claim that Therese has always been stable before she "became lesbian." I think there are several contextual clues, such as her running away from her home, and being abandoned by her mother, that give the conception that Therese has never really been stable.
So is Therese's acknowledgement of her lesbianism now the start of mental instability, or is it just the realization of her previous tendencies to questionable, unstable behavior?
I think stronger analysis on that idea would allow you to more powerfully discuss different aspects of Therese's mental instability, ranging from her abandonment issues to her lesbianism.
Good job so far, and good luck!
I like your different viewpoint on writing your essay, however, you would have to deal with all the potential counterarguments. I feel like it is true that Therese truly has not been stable emotionally at least in the beginning of the half of the novel. However, I believe that this is the case primarily because of the way she feels trapped in her lifestyle rather than anything else. I feel as if Patricia Highsmith in THIS is not portraying lesbianism and homosexuality as a pathology, but rather is viewing the rigid and normal imposing lifestyle that society puts on people as a disease. I feel as if sometimes Highsmith condemns the way society treats people who are different. And although it is true that Highsmith shows that other people in the story view "Lesbianism" as a disease, you might want to consider the people who have these viewpoints. They all tend to be antagonists and people against Therese and Carol! Although this in no way should prevent you from keeping with your argument, you might want to consider these potential counterarguments in order to strengthen your own.
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