Meridian Sex Quotes

Meridian has just become sexually active and she's already over it. So why doesn't she just stop? We can't say for sure, but, like Meridian, we'd blame her mother by not preparing her for her own sexuality. Gee, thanks mom.

Here we see sex linked with the idea of "possession." Meridian is constantly looked at by men as a sexual object, and the only way to escape that dynamic is by becoming someone else's sexual object. Weird, huh? Like many women, however, Meridian doesn't really have any other alternatives, except to shut off contact with men altogether, which might not be such a bad idea, now that we think about it.

Eddie and Meridian have very different understandings of their sexual relationship. Unsurprisingly, we're taking Meridian's side on this one—she shouldn't feel pressure to have sex with him unless she actually wants to. As we come to learn, however, Eddie is more interested in the act itself than he is in Meridian.

Well, at least we found some part of sexuality that Meridian enjoys. This shows us that Meridian is interested in sex, on some level. Maybe she would be sexually active if there were men out there who felt a similar way. If there are, however, she hasn't met them.

The Voice is one creepy dude. He sees sex as a form of conquest—his rejection of the girl's plea for emotional closeness tells us everything we need to know. What a weird way to learn about the birds and the bees.

Sexual misinformation is seen throughout the book with disastrous consequences. It also leads to a vicious cycle—each generation is unprepared for the realities of sex by the previous generation, leaving them unable to prepare the next generation, and so on and so forth. How different would Meridian's life have been if her mom had given her "The Talk"?

Even Truman, who's as politically progressive as they come, has some downright icky views on sexuality. What's even scarier is that he doesn't even realize it. Truman sees Meridian as a piece of property that he wants to conquer, yet he loses interest after he realizes she isn't a virgin. Why would he want to conquer something that's already been conquered?

We wouldn't blame Meridian if this makes her want to be celibate for the rest of her life! The truly sad part is that Meridian is forced to bear the consequences of her sexuality alone—neither Truman nor Eddie has been hurt by their selfish actions. Meridian, on the other hand, is unable to escape the consequences.

If you thought that these kids had trouble communicating about sex, then just wait until you throw race in the mix. Tommy Odds has had his expectations warped by a lifetime of TV, movies, and advertisements, and the result is that he can't see Lynne as the human being she is.

Later in her life, Lynne becomes obsessed with the idea that Truman wants to be sexually fulfilled by black women. But what she finds shocks her—that Truman, in his heart, simply prefers blondes. We're not sure if that makes her feel better or worse, though.