The Eleventh Virgin · Chapter
V explained
June spends two years at the state university, where she learns little from her classes but gains perspective through menial jobs and exposure to sexual and intellectual discussions.
What happens
June spends two years at the state university, where she learns little from her classes but gains perspective through menial jobs and exposure to sexual and intellectual discussions. She works for various families, including a bootlegger and the Wittles, where she encounters frank talk about sex and reads works on sexual pathology. She also engages in debates with friends about socialism, birth control, and Nietzsche, and attends readings by poets Masefield, Masters, and Lindsay.
Themes in this chapter
Sexual Awakening and Double Standards
June's exposure to sexual discussions and literature at the Wittles, and the campus gossip about instructors' relationships.
Intellectual and Ideological Search
June's engagement with poetry, philosophy (Nietzsche), and political debates about socialism and birth control.
Characters to notice
- June Henreddy
Attends university, works various jobs, and engages in intellectual and sexual discussions.
- Regina
June's friend who debates socialism and birth control, and is influenced by Mrs. Stokes.
- Jim Pickering
Editor of the campus paper, participates in discussions about free speech and birth control.
- Ray
Regina's fiancé, cautious about controversial topics in the paper.
- Mrs. Wittle
Expecting her second baby, engages June in discussions about sex and abortion.
Key passages
“what you need is perspective, my dear.”
A boy June dated told her she needed perspective after reading her stories.
This comment shapes June's retrospective view of her university years.
“When found, make a note of it!”
The Latin professor frequently quoted this line from Dickens, prompting students to take notes.
Illustrates the triviality of some academic instruction June remembers.
“Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and every where, Adored. Bless Thou this food and grant that we May feast in Paradise with Thee.”
June had to recite this simple grace before meals at a professor's home where she worked.
Highlights the awkwardness of her job and the religious expectations.
“I am an instructor, not a politician.”
June's economics professor declared his nonpartisan stance.
Reflects the academic avoidance of political advocacy.
“I'll stick to Nietzsche”
June decides to focus on her own goals rather than fight for social causes.
Shows her adoption of Nietzschean individualism as a coping mechanism.