Throughout this book, each speaker relates the vagina as not only a body part but a part of them. A story to tell, good or bad. The whole reason this book was written was to view what women really thought. The vagina is rarely spoken of and when it is it feels almost... well... awkward. This book was meant to make people more understanding of the word. The author even clearly states on the first page of the book, "I bet you're worried. I was worried. That's why I began this piece. I was worried about vaginas. I was worried about what we think about vaginas and even more worried that we don't think about them. I was worried about my own vagina. It needed a context of other vaginas- a community, a culture of vaginas. There's so much darkness and secrecy surrounding them- like the Bermuda Triangle. Nobody ever reports back from there". Each person views the vagina as a different stage or learning experience. It could be when you're just starting menstruation or when you are 70 years old talking about the "good ol' days", the vagina, whether you like it or not, will be there with you FOREVER. It's up to each individual woman of what kind of relationship she wants with hers.
I enjoyed views of the vagina at different ages. The first age that you become most aware of your vagina is obviously, menstruation. In the monologue, I was twelve. My mother slapped me, the author interviewed many women about how it was like to first get their period. Some were scared, some elated and some plain dumb founded; they refused to admit they had it. Menstruation happens so differently for every woman. It happens at different times, different ages, and different circumstances. It’s a rewarding and shameful feeling at the same time. In some voices of the monologue, parents praised their daughters and encouraged them to embrace their womanhood. "My father brought me a card: "To my little girl who isn't so little anymore." It's great to have someone supporting you with even the most embarrassing of moments. However there were those little girls who wanted to hide the fact that they were becoming women. "I was so afraid. I started putting the used pad in brown paper bags in the dark storage places under the roof". I believe this stage of life is just a preview of to how comfortable they can be with their woman self in the future.
Not only can menstruation be a big step in having a vagina, but giving birth is another stage in a woman’s life that can either make her or break her. In the monologue "I was there in the room" the speaker relates her vagina to another important part of the body; the heart. "I stood, and as I stared, her vagina suddenly became a wide red pulsing heart. The heart is capable of sacrifice. So is the vagina. The heart is able to forgive and repair." She sees that the vagina is the greatest gift of all; it's the part of the body that helped her bring new life to this world.
In the monologue “The Flood”, the author interviews an older lady relates her vagina to an old cellar. She hasn’t been in touch with her femininity since 1953 when she “flooded” or “got wet”. She tells a story of being in a boy’s car when she was young and getting turned on. She got his seat wet and he thought she was gross and drove her home never to speak to her again. This is obviously a big discouragement. It just goes to show that in that era, it was perfectly fine for young men to become aroused, but it was unheard that a woman could be sexually amused. From then on, she kept to herself, holding off on all desires. Since that moment, she hasn’t even dared to even talk about her vagina. She thanks the author for interviewing her saying, “You know, actually, you’re the first person I ever talked to about this, and I feel a little better”.
It's amazing to see different perspectives of each age group about their vaginas. The younger generations, more shy, timid and unsure of how to handle this new responsibility. The generations bringing in the new generations see new life and opportunity. The older generations of women see their vaginas in a different light (or lack thereof) because the topic was never discussed in their day, but it's their chance to truly understand what they hadn't all these years about how precious their womanhood is. Now although through each stage of life, there is a different moral to be taught or life lesson to learn, it's inevitable that the vagina is the most important part of a woman’s life; period.
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