The Eleventh Virgin · Chapter
III explained
June's adolescent religious fervor is explored through her friendship with Henrietta, her secret diary, and her conflicted feelings about piety, sensuality, and family life.
What happens
June's adolescent religious fervor is explored through her friendship with Henrietta, her secret diary, and her conflicted feelings about piety, sensuality, and family life. She wrestles with the tension between spiritual ideals and natural desires, culminating in a defiant diary entry embracing romantic and physical longing.
Themes in this chapter
Sexual Awakening and Double Standards
June's diary reveals her struggle to suppress 'sensual love' and 'physical sensations,' yet she defiantly admits a desire for a lover like Tristram and Iseult.
Intellectual and Ideological Search
June reads the Bible, Greek New Testament, Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, and Swinburne, seeking both religious ecstasy and aesthetic beauty.
Family Dynamics and Maternal Influence
Mother Grace's inconsistent affection and fear of Mr. Henreddy's disapproval create a tense household, driving June and Adele to secret rebellion.
Characters to notice
- June Henreddy
Deeply introspective, June grapples with religious ecstasy, sin, and her own budding sexuality, writing both pious letters and defiant diary entries.
- Adele
June's sister and co-conspirator in making fudge; she shares a bedroom and a tense but allied relationship with June against their parents.
- Mother Grace
June's mother, who enforces household rules and displays a cold, formal attitude on Sundays, contrasting with her usual affection.
- Mr. Henreddy
June's father, whose formal attitude influences Mother Grace's behavior; he occasionally brings home needy friends, causing family strain.
- Henrietta
June's first intimate friend, whose wholesome piety gives June a model for religious practice and a reason to write Sunday letters.
Key passages
“It’s all because we are too small to know how to be happy. Some people take whiskey to be happy—father usually has the smell of it about him, and then there are Mother Grace’s highballs when she’s feeling low. It’s because they want to escape from reality. Religion, or whiskey, or dope …”
June reflects that people use religion, alcohol, or drugs to escape unhappiness, noting her father's whiskey and mother's highballs.
June's critical insight into escapism and the parallels between religious fervor and substance use.
“I should like to lie on the grass in the woods with a lover all night just like Tristram and Iseult. And I expect Adele feels the same way, so if she snoops for my diary and reads this, I don't care.”
June writes defiantly in her diary that she desires a romantic night in the woods with a lover, like Tristram and Iseult, and suspects Adele shares similar feelings.
A bold rejection of her earlier piety, embracing romantic and sensual longing.