Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: Contemporary Novel

• Jeffrey Eugenides opens the book with the last Lisbon girl's suicide. How
does that set the tone for the novel? Is it helpful to the reader or does it
take away from the story?
We can really feel and see the way the author Mr. Eugenide expresses his
feeling towards the story through his writing styles. The tone of he story
Virgin Suicides conveyed through point of view. In this way, it allows
readers to know and be curious about the characters personalities and
disposition. The author uses that to set the tone of the story and to help
readers establish the mood of the story

• Virgin Suicides is written from an unusual first-person plural point of

view. How does this point of view affect how the story is told? What
characters are part of the "we," and why do you think the author uses this
deliberate ambiguity?
The point of view affects on how the story is told, as well as the
relationship that the narrator has to the characters of the story and in this
way it leads the readers to be confused. It's "we" refers to a specific
suburban neighborhood in which the lens is focused on one street and one
house inside it: the Lisbon family. I think Jeffrey Eugenides uses deliberate
ambiguity because he wants the audience be curious about what
happened in the story an this lead readers to increase their interest and
suspense to read the novel.

• Why do you think the Lisbon sisters killed themselves?

I think Lisbon sister killed themselves for the reason that they have no
freedom and they are being contained. Mrs. Lisbon standards and the boys
objectification maybe one of the reasons that Lisbon sisters killed
themselves. Their mother control her daughter and she uses her parental
power over her daughters to force them to conform to her expectation.
Due to this kind of attitude and behavior towards her daughters , the
Lisbon sisters kill themselves.
• How does the novel claim credibility when the narrators are the
neighborhood boys? How would the story be if Lisbon sisters were the
narrators themselves?
If the neighborhood boys were the narrators of the story, I think it is still
credible for the reason that they are the direct witnesses of what
happened to the characters life in the story. And if the Lisbon sisters were
the narrator themselves , the story will be more credible because the
characters is involved in story and can express their thoughts and feelings
of their experience. The reader can feel and understand more about what
happened in the story because they are the story teller of their own story.