“It was necessary to engage her whole person. Her mind, her heart, her soul and her body could only be present as two sets of twins. She would not be divided from herself” (68).
This passage refers to Louise’s autonomy and the multiple reasons why she is so attractive to the narrator. This quotation is preceded by several descriptions of Louise’s physical attractiveness, such as her flowing red hair. The descriptions demonstrate why the narrator is physically attracted to Louise, but her autonomy is the basis for the narrator’s psychological attraction and explains how Louise presents a sort of challenge. This passage also represents a paradox; the narrator is attracted to Louise because of her autonomy, yet the narrator is essentially obsessed with Louise, and repeats the word “her” five times in three brief sentences.
The narrator’s desire for autonomy, even in an external sense, is understandable when considering the book so far. One of the narrator’s former lovers, Bathsheba, essentially broke the narrator’s heart. This then prompted the narrator’s relationship with Jacqueline, who represents a calm, risk-free person who cannot cause emotional damage to the narrator, as she is not an object of desire. The narrator has also had several affairs with married women and describes a kind of script that goes along with these encounters, indicating a lack of challenge and boredom due to repetition. Although the narrator has not yet given a detailed description for each lover, many affairs seem to have ended with the narrator or the lover storming out and both of them being hurt. This then suggests that the narrator not only desires Louise for her physical attributes, but also to be independent like her. In addition, this quotation features foreshadowing and subtly implies that the narrator may not be able to meet the standards that Louise has. Louise’s relationship with Elgin, her husband, also contradicts this description, as Louise no longer makes love to him yet remains married to him.