Maybe I'm just a little slow, but why did Garp's mom call her book "Sexual Suspect"? I know she explained it, kind of, but I just didn't quite get it.
I think it's meant to mimic "The Feminine Mystique." But 'Suspect'? I'm not following her logic there. Help!
If the movie's explanation was not sufficient for you, pick up a copy of the book.
Jenny wanted to do things that women were not supposed to want, making her a "sexual suspect". "I wanted a job and I wanted to live alone. That made me a sexual suspect. Then I wanted a baby, but I didn't want to have to share my body or my life to have one. That made me a sexual suspect, too."
She said she was a "sexual suspect" for not wanting to have anything to do with a man because of people's reaction to her life choices. It's perfectly exemplified in the book by her parents reaction.
Everyone assumes she's either a "slut" or a lesbian because she doesn't want a husband. That's why she uses the term "sexual suspect". Because people think she's hiding something.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
Basically the idea that no one trusts a woman who doesn't follow the path she is supposed to follow.
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