Skip to main content
Like
Create new Glog
previous
next
Email share
20 views | 0 likes | 0 reposts
Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones tells the story of July and Bo Jo, two teenagers who find themsevlves in a very adult situation. According to Younger, although this novel was published in the late 1960's, the depiction of what happens to the young couple and the consequences that come from their actions is more closely related to the "hush hush" nature of sex and teenage pregnancy of the 1950's (65). This is evident in the novel's description, or lack thereof, of July and Bo Jo's intimate night together. July says: ...I was feeling light hearted and festive, and besides, anywhere else we went, Alicia would probably be there so when Bo Jo said, "Let's go have a look at the ocean," I don't even remember feeling daring about it or giving it a thought one way or another. I trusted Bo Jo. I trusted myself. I had no idea that there actually is a point of no return. (9)
The fact that Bo Jo and July have just had sex is hardly even evident to the modern reader of today. The expression "point of no return" has a somewhat negative connotation. This first experience with sex is not meant to give the reader a good feeling.
Younger explains that July's reaction to having sex with Bo Jo reveals how the novel warns against the idea of premarital sex (65). July says, after having had sex with Bo Jo, "I never thought in a million years that I...I mean I've always felt superior to the kind of girls...well, no, I'm not happy" (10). By saying that she felt superior to "those" kind of girls indicates that those kind of girls are not the kind that a "good" girl wants to be. Even though she made the choice to have sex with her boyfriend, July is upset and regretful afterward. The reader of this novel would get the feeling that July must have made a mistake in taking her relationship to this level. July has done something that only "bad" girls do.
