By our unofficial count, The World According to Garp features the word lust roughly 17,281 times. Okay—we might be exaggerating a smidgen, but you get the picture. The book follows two characters with wildly different relationships with lust. First there's Jenny Fields, a born feminist who's never felt lustful in her life. And then there's her son, T.S. Garp, who's obsessed with lust enough for the both of them. The tension between these two perspectives creates a unique take on the power that lust has—for better or for worse.
Questions About Lust
- How does Garp's brief time with Cushie shape the relationships that follow? Give examples from the text, please.
- Why does Jenny have such a hard time understanding lust? Again, bust out those examples.
- In the novel, how does male lust differ from female lust? Are there similarities? Does anyone break from the pattern (if there even is a pattern)?
- How does Garp overcome his lust?