On
account of reading and writing so much about prostitution lately, I
threatened HERE
to write this blog post, and now I did. I don't judge people for
non-monogamy or for having jobs in sex work, but just for the record,
I categorically oppose human trafficking, forced prostitution of any
kind and the sexual exploitation of minors.
The
two former prostitutes I've known in my life were both recovering
drug users, and their sex work was directly related to their
addictions. This doesn't apply to any of the five characters you'll
read about below - obviously, for artistic purposes, there's a bit of
a disconnect between reality and fiction.
I
warn you, a spoiler is coming up for Mockingjay,
so don't continue unless you've finished the entire Hunger Games
trilogy.
Prostitutes
in Literature I've Read Recently
1.
A Hu-Li, The
Sacred Book of the Werewolf by
Victor Pelevin. A Hu-Li is a supernatural kitsune,
a fox shape-shifter. Owing to her supernatural ability to influence
human minds, she never actually has to physically touch her clients.
Until she starts falling in love, A Hu-Li is, paradoxically, a virgin
prostitute, at least in the sense that she’s never had intercourse
in her unnaturally long life.
2.
Lorene (Alma Schmidt), From Here to Eternity by James Jones
(currently reading). Lorene is Alma Schmidt’s “house name” at
the Honolulu brothel The New Congress Hotel. She’s a native of
Oregon who told her mother she was going to Hawaii for a few years to
work as a secretary. Alma has a legitimate reason for wanting to earn
her own money: she doesn’t want to have to depend on a man. The
first night Robert E. Lee Prewitt meets her, he’s in love. She
won’t marry him because, in order to preserve her reputation to the
extent that no one would ever believe she’d been a prostitute, she
intends to marry a high-status husband.
3.
Finnick Odair, Mockingjay by
Suzanne Collins. Mockingjay is a war novel, and many outrages happen
therein, but few upset me as much as Finnick’s fate as a
17-year-old Hunger Games victor. In Catching
Fire,
Finnick’s flirtatious nature made him seem like he was overly
confident, cocky and proud. In Mockingjay,
we learn his sexualized way of relating to other people is the result
of exploitation from the Capitol – he was literally pimped out to
wealthy male and female clients. Unlike Alma, Finnick gets to marry
his true love, Annie, who is pregnant when Finnick is killed in
battle.
Sidebar:
What do Katniss Everdeen and Robert E. Lee Prewitt have in common?
They look somewhat similar - tall and slim, with an olive complexion.
They both come from a coal mining area, and both had coal miner
fathers. Prew drinks like Haymitch, though.
4.
Sophie-Anne Leclerq, Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris.
1,100-year-old French teen Sophie-Anne Leclerq is a recurring
character in Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries series, until her
true death. Definitely Dead is the book in which the heroine
Sookie Stackhouse hears Sophie-Anne’s tale. As a mortal human,
Sophie-Anne was the sole survivor of a wave of plague that destroyed
her village. When she met up with other human beings again, they
exploited her and put her to work as a prostitute. Her callous
treatment by other humans is some of the reason why the vampire queen
of Louisiana is so cold and calculating, a terrifying and powerful
woman.
5.
Myrtle,The
Seven Descents of Myrtle(also
known as Kingdom
of Earth)
by Tennessee Williams. I didn't actually read this one; via Kala's
(TheDorkMistress') Tumblr,
I heard this recording of
the short story/dramatic monologue being read by Tom Hiddleston. Tom
Hiddleston is one of the stars of Tumblr, beloved by fangirls
everywhere for his portrayal of the comic book villain/Norse
god Loki in the movies Thor
and
The
Avengers.
Hiddleston narrates the story as "Chicken," the character
who steals his half-brother Lot's new wife, Myrtle.
(This
is an odd image of Loki, but it resonates with the "seven
descents" in the title - Dance of the Seven Veils, get it? But
then again, in Norse mythology, Loki is sometimes female. He/she
gives birth - the wolf-monster Fenrir, who may or may not appear as a
character in The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, is one of the
offspring of which Loki is the mother.*)
Myrtle
and Chicken have a long, philosophical talk in which she describes
being sexually harassed and then raped by her boss as a young teen.
Despite the violence of her experience, she learned that she liked
the sexual act itself* and became a prostitute as well as a showgirl
before marrying Lot. Lot, afflicted with tuberculosis,is a pathetic
figure; Myrtle married him largely out of pity. Lot calls Myrtle’s
name all night while she’s up in the attic making love to Chicken,
and in the morning the two come down to find Lot dead.
Prostitutes
in Literature I Haven't Read
For
this, I've enlisted the aid of the trusty New York Public Library
Literature Companion. I feel as if there should be some character
who comes immediately to mind when I think of literary prostitutes,
and I’m having a brain cramp and just not thinking of him or her.
Help me out here, blogosphere – who else belongs on this list?
--
Moll Flanders, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll
Flanders by Daniel Defoe. Being a prostitute is counted among
Moll Flanders’ misfortunes. Later in her life, she becomes rich,
repents, and dies an honest woman. Stupid Flanders.
--
Lulu, Pandora’s Box by
Frank Wedekind. Lulu is the classic literary femme fatale – she
literally causes the deaths of those around her. Like Moll Flanders,
she grew up on the streets. In her declining years, Lulu is reduced
to prostitution, and her final client is Jack the Ripper. Louise
Brooks played Lulu in a 1929 silent film.
--
Maureen Wendall, Them
by
Joyce Carol Oates. Maureen is the daughter of Howard and Loretta
Wendall, a working-class couple. Howard, a police officer, is once
busted for taking money from prostitutes. After his death, Loretta
relies too heavily on her young daughter to take care of her, and
Maureen works as a prostitute to build an escape fund. Her stepfather
finds out and beats her, resulting in a nervous breakdown. Maureen’s
older half-brother, Jules, sexually abuses and pimps out a woman. So,
typical Joyce Carol Oates: heavy, depressing dysfunction all around.
I do
not volunteer to read any of these things. 'Specially not J.C.O. I'm
still traumatized by "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been."
Stream of Consciousness (SOC) Sunday has migrated from AllThingsFadra (which you should still follow by e-mail, because it's a great blog) to Jana's Thinking Place. Find the prompt there, blog your 5-minute stream of consciousness, then link up! Today's prompt is, "What does summer smell or taste like to you, and why?"
