Experiencing such a powerful novel for the first time, I was shocked at the descriptions Irving provided of the sexual adventures of the main character, Billy. These descriptions were in detail and usually incorporated an aspect of something "morally wrong". Irving described these sexual encounters as though they were part of anyone's normal day, and did not project them as something one would be surprised about.
As I progressed through the book and moved past my surprise, I began to feel as though these descriptions of how a bisexual man would feel and perform his daily life were necessary to see the larger message of the novel: No one person is acceptable in every way. Journeying through the sexual adventures of Billy may have made me uncomfortable, but as I continued to read through them, I could see past their surface descriptions. Doing something "unacceptable" is not always wrong for everyone. Usually something unacceptable to one person is beneficial to another.
I feel as though this is an important part of life as well. If everyone lived their lives trapped inside acceptance, the human race would never accomplish anything. It is not about risk taking, but is about thinking outside of the biggest box one could imagine, and broadening one's options until they become limitless.
Do you agree/disagree? How would anyone feel if social norms and morals were completely destroyed? Would perception be the same? Would judgement be the same? Is this what the society of our country and other countries moving towards?
If all societal norms were destroyed, society would progress without these societal norms. In years to come, today's society will be viewed as strict and uptight compared to the society of the future. Just like how we view the restrictive gender roles of the early and mid 1900s, society will have progressed so that the people of the future will find our society outdated and restrictive.
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