Virgin Suicides pg 123

"They could sense Mrs. Lisborn watching them, and even though they were close enough to feel the Lisborn girls' breath and to smell the first perfume they had ever been allowed to wear, the boys tries not to stick the girls or even to touch them. They gently lifted the material from the girls' chests and hung white Flowers over their hearts. Whichever Lisborn girl a boy pinned became his date. When they finished, they said good night to Mrs. Lisborn and led the girls outside to the Cadillac, holding the empty corsage over the girls heads to protect their hair from the drizzle."


The author uses the appeal of the senses to the reader. Everyone knows that someone shouldn't be able to feel someone watching them, we all know too well that familiar feeling. It gives the reader something to connect with. The diction used when describing the girls is very soft and sweet. Everyone wants to take care of them, they are still being treated as angelic in a way. After everything they have already been through this just adds to their treatment. An example of this is the last sentence when the boys hold the containers to protect their hair. They don't want anything to ever ruin them. Another thing that the author used is the symbols that he has created. The guys gently move the material from the girls chests to put on the white flowers. White represents life and hope and the heart is located at the chest. Also white flowers are normally used at funerals to show hope the ones that have just left us. This could be a foreshadow as to that the girls hearts will stop working and they will have those types of flowers all around them. In short; they will die. The author also does a great job with characterizing the girls. Since the boys don't really know what girl they want to choose, the reader can infer that they all act quite similar to each other. Besides Lux, they all seem to act the same. They are the only ones that truly understand each other and that characterizes them as quiet and also a little weird. This is why no one understands why they killed themselves except for themselves.