Written in 1984, Susan Minot’s short story “Lust” is a tale about a young teenager’s sexual encounters and its effects on her female psyche. In a clutter of unorganized paragraphs, the narrator expresses her sexual history and feelings towards these sexual encounters. She focuses on the gender roles that are the complete opposite of what would be expected during the feminist movement of the 1970’s and the 1980’s, implying Minot’s personal views on the effectiveness of the movement, as well as talking about the pressure and expectations of women by society and how those expectations show signs of lust, not love. Right out the start, Minot creates a very nonchalant tone for the narrator. She starts out with “Leo was from a long time ago, the
