‘Why did you start about that?’ I said. ‘What’s it matter? Besides, I’m not a virgin if that’s what’s worrying you’ (Rhys, 36).

In the novel Voyage in the Dark. by Jean Rhys we see Anna go through the struggle of losing her virginity. What I interpret from the book is that Anna is in fear that Walter finds out she is a virgin. Like most females today telling a guy that you’re not a virgin takes some pressure off the guy. They seem to look at you different or become in fear of taking on the responsibility of being the one that takes the females virginity. This the only reason that I can see why Anna would lie about not being a virgin.

An article I found discusses what being a virgin is and what it means to lose your virginity. A specific line that stood out to me was “As with piety and sensuality, we often believe that virginity tells us something about a person’s morality, character, and spirituality” (Blank,6). This seems that it may be a little untrue. We see that Anna was able to preserve her virginity for as long as she can but after she loses it, her morals and character changes. It’s as if she started off innocent and then shortly after she treats it as if it was nothing. She has entered adulthood and perhaps feels as if she is got her freedom. We see Anna take it for granted and now begins to engage in sexual acts frequently to the point she where she picks an occupation surrounding it.

Below is a video I compare to how I feel Anna possibly felt in the moment when she lost her virginity:

• Blank, Hanne. Virgin: The Untouched History. Bloomsbury, 2008.

• Rhys, Jean, and Carole Angier. Voyage in the Dark. Penguin Books, 2007.

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