Your Turn: Jenny Fields
From The World According To Garp by John Irving
Movie directed by George Roy Hill
Nominated by Eric Orner
I wrestled with my sexuality throughout college during in the 1980s. As a Jew, I worried about the moral repercussions of my gay orientation---about not doing everything I could to procreate. And, as an American I worried about the material consequences of coming out. Would I be denied happiness? Jobs? Physical security? When I read Irving's book, my eyes were opened wide by his depiction of a character who was uncompromising in her attitude towards sex and sexuality.
What was right for others wasn't right for Nurse Jenny. She recognized this, and didn't let it stop her from building a good and successful life. Within the novel, Jenny writes her own book called "A Sexual Suspect" which gave other characters in Garp, (and outside in the real world like me) the courage to live their lives on their own terms. I'm grateful to her for it.
Tags: Independent Women | Literature | Movies
10:15 PM ET | 01-30-2008 | permalink
10:15 PM ET | 01-30-2008 | permalink
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