Sex

Throughout the novel, David is highly preoccupied with exploring sex and sexuality. His persistent sexual preoccupation both fascinates him and causes repeated personal troubles due to its unstable nature. David’s first major exploration of sex occurs when he is in London studying under a Fulbright Scholarship. David’s focus on his studies wane when he becomes involved in a sexual relationship with two young Swedish women, Elisabeth and Birgitta. The sexual relationship is energetic, and it reaches a tragic point when Elisabeth, who had secretly fallen in love with David, throws herself in front of a bus to try to kill herself. Elisabeth returns to Sweden with a broken arm, and David and Birgitta resume their sexual relationship. However, David fails his scholarship program due to neglect of his studies, and he recognizes that his sexual appetites have grown unstable. Birgitta says that David will...