Introduction
Few aspects of human behavior arouse as much interest in literature as exploration of suicidal ideations does. The search for an explanation of why people end their lives is at the center of Eugenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides. As the title implies, it relays the story of five sisters who commit suicide, which forces the surrounding community to explore the reasons for such behavior. The novel is narrated from a first-person plural perspective referring to boys who lived in the same neighborhood as the Lisbon girls did. Overall, the overbearing nature of parents, communal pressure, and unresolved sexual tension constitute the reasons for the sisters’ suicide.
Discussion
Parental control is the major factor that contributed to the girls’ demise. Over the course of the novel, it is stated on multiple occasions that the sisters lived in a strict domestic setting, with an overly protective mother and a passive father. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon fostered a prudish environment, which is evident in Mrs. Lisbon’s prohibition of makeup, and revealing clothes, and reluctance to allow boys to visit (Eugenides 7). As the story progresses, parents further tighten control over their daughters, which is described by the narrators’ as “maximum security isolation” (Eugenides 103). Subsequently, unable to properly communicate with other people, the girls felt trapped.
Excessive parental control is a suicide factor because it prevents children from fulfilling their psychological needs for autonomy and esteem. The rebellious nature of girls, especially Lux and Cecilia, can be interpreted as a means of overcompensating their unmet needs (Butkovic et al. 790). This is why Cecilia was so intent on keeping her parents away from her bathing sessions after her first suicide attempt and Lux became promiscuous during isolation (Eugenides 34, 106). Even though Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon genuinely hoped to protect their daughters from harm inflicted by other people or themselves, in reality, their actions further pushed the sisters into depression.
The second precipitating factor was a social reaction to the girls’ behavior. The community in which the Lisbon family lived was small, which meant that any event no matter how private would be instantly known. As soon as Cecilia slit her arms, people start pressuring and ostracizing the sisters. It begins in the form of Doctor Armonson’s bewilderment regarding a suicide attempt by Cecilia and progresses to the public avoidance of the sisters’ company at school (Eugenides 7). Stigmatization of the girls’ actions is so high that the community ignores the events in Lisbon’s house and does not change their behavior in any way.
The most important sign of communal pressure was the conspicuous attention of the story’s narrators. Over the course of the entire novel, the anonymous boys explain in meticulous detail how they obtained information regarding girls’ private lives, including their underwear, menstruation cycles, and the specifics of scent. It is directly stated, although not acknowledged that narrators used binoculars to peek at girls while they were in their rooms (Eugenides 107). As much as the general community avoided the sisters because of the suicide stigma, the narrators were obsessed with attempting to understand why they did it. As a consequence, the constant social pressure added to the stress of strict parental control and further exacerbated the sisters’ depression.
The third factor contributing to suicidal ideations was the girls’ inability to manage their sexual drives. The title of the novel itself suggests that sexuality is an important part of the story. Yet, it is made clear that girls reaching puberty is a plot point. Mrs. Lisbon is extremely strict in suppressing the girls’ sexuality. Even when the psychiatrist explains that Cecilia’s actions were the result of unfulfilled “libidinal urges”, she was unwilling to expose her daughters to male attention (Eugenides 17). After a temporary lift of restrictions in the aftermath of the first suicide attempt, the parents essentially locked the sisters at home, when Lux escaped their notice and had sex with a boy.
However, aside from the parental suppression, social pressure also did not help the girls properly resolve tension. Women’s sexuality is generally assumed to be similar to male sexual behavior, which is not true (Tiefer 90). However, the stereotypes force Trip Fontaine to become intimate with Lux and immediately abandon her (Eugenides 102). In response to parental isolation, Lux becomes promiscuous, while other girls have their needs unmet. These factors further worsen the depression and alienation pushing the sisters to follow Cecilia’s example and commit group suicide on the same day a year later.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the sisters’ decision to end their lives had three dimensions – social, biological, and psychological. Having reached puberty, the girls started to experience increased hormonal activity, which caused the emergence of sexual desires. Yet, a strict domestic environment suppressed any expressions of sexuality in girls. It resulted in Cecilia’s suicide and the tightening of parental restrictions. Combined with domestic isolation, the social pressure to examine each aspect of their private lives pushed the girls further into depression, which led to group suicide. Ultimately, Eugenides’ novel accentuates societal, familial, and personal flaws in managing sexuality, freedom, and security.
Works Cited
Butkovic, A., et al. “Emerging Adults versus Middle-aged Adults: Do They Differ in Psychological Needs, Self-esteem and Life Satisfaction.” Journal of Happiness Studies, vol. 21, no. 3, 2020: 779-798.
Eugenides, Jeffrey. The Virgin Suicides. HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2021.
Tiefer, Leonore. “The Social Construction and Social Effects of Sex Research: The Sexological Model of Sexuality.” Sexuality, Society, and Feminism, edited by Cheryl Brown Travis and Jacquelyn W. White, American Psychological Association, 2000, pp. 79-107.