The Boys Party
The Emergence of Femininity in "The One Girl at The Boys Party" by Sharon Olds.
"The One Girl at The Boys Party" by Sharon Olds is about the personal journey of
the discovery of feminine sexuality in the life of an adolescent female. In this confusing
journey mathematics are used metaphorically to describe the girls new found sexuality.
The girl attempts to deny the emergence of her femininity though the impersonal use of
mathematics in order to intellectually repress her true sexual being.
The girl in this poem is young and with her youth comes a sense of innocence
however the poem demonstrates the sexual awakening the girl incurs. The girl 's youth is
exemplified when the speaker states that she "took her girl to the party ... [and] sat her …show more content…
down ' (862).
Here the speaker presents the girl as a child being chaperoned to the party
by her mother. The girl is also described as being "...smooth and sleek ... her body hard
and indivisible as a prime number." (862). This description points out the girl 's youth but
also highlights her feminine sexuality. It would appear that the girl is unprepared for her
sexual awakening and as such is using mathematics to defer her attention from her
sexual thoughts, feelings, and desires. The speaker states that as the girl stands there " her
math scores unfold[ing] in the air around her." (862). This eludes to how the denial of her
sexuality is unfolding, it is as if she is loosing her ability to concentrate on the
mathematics that distract her from her true sexuality. Here it would seem that the girl
may be coming to terms with the inevitability of her female sexuality.
The poem exemplifies the difference between the thoughts of the boys and the
girl as well as demonstrating how her thoughts evolve from those of innocence to
thoughts that become dominated by sexuality. The speaker describes how the boys see
the girl as they emerge from the pool "... they will see her sweet face, Solemn and
sealed,
a factor of one..." (862) Here the speaker is demonstrating how the girl 's look is
deceptive, her thoughts are provocative yet her look is innocent. This also goes to point
out how the boys do not recognize her femininity. Although the girl is beginning to
recognize her attraction to the boys when she looks at them in an objectifying manor
"...their eyes, two each, their legs, two each, and the curves of their sexes, one each..."
(862). The girl begins to do her " wild multiplying" (862) and these desires seem to
overtake her thoughts. At the end of the poem the speaker concludes "...The drops
sparkle and fall to the power of a thousand from her body." (862). This statement seems
to exemplify the feminine power as it emerges out from within her.
The discovery of feminine sexuality through the personal journey of the girl is
exemplified in "The One Girl at The Boys Party" by Sharon Olds. Throughout this poem
mathematics are used as a metaphor to describe the girl 's sexuality in the way that she
uses mathematics to avoid her true feminine sexuality. As the journey of self discovery
concludes the poem ends with the girls discovery of her new femininity, complete with
sexual feelings and desires.
Works Cited
Olds, Sharon. "The One Girl at The Boys Party" Literature An Introduction to Fiction,
Poetry and Drama. Second ed. Eds. X.J.Kennedy. Dana Gioia. Longman, New York
2000. 862
"The One Girl at The Boys Party" by Sharon Olds is about the personal journey of
the discovery of feminine sexuality in the life of an adolescent female. In this confusing
journey mathematics are used metaphorically to describe the girls new found sexuality.
The girl attempts to deny the emergence of her femininity though the impersonal use of
mathematics in order to intellectually repress her true sexual being.
The girl in this poem is young and with her youth comes a sense of innocence
however the poem demonstrates the sexual awakening the girl incurs. The girl 's youth is
exemplified when the speaker states that she "took her girl to the party ... [and] sat her …show more content…
down ' (862).
Here the speaker presents the girl as a child being chaperoned to the party
by her mother. The girl is also described as being "...smooth and sleek ... her body hard
and indivisible as a prime number." (862). This description points out the girl 's youth but
also highlights her feminine sexuality. It would appear that the girl is unprepared for her
sexual awakening and as such is using mathematics to defer her attention from her
sexual thoughts, feelings, and desires. The speaker states that as the girl stands there " her
math scores unfold[ing] in the air around her." (862). This eludes to how the denial of her
sexuality is unfolding, it is as if she is loosing her ability to concentrate on the
mathematics that distract her from her true sexuality. Here it would seem that the girl
may be coming to terms with the inevitability of her female sexuality.
The poem exemplifies the difference between the thoughts of the boys and the
girl as well as demonstrating how her thoughts evolve from those of innocence to
thoughts that become dominated by sexuality. The speaker describes how the boys see
the girl as they emerge from the pool "... they will see her sweet face, Solemn and
sealed,
a factor of one..." (862) Here the speaker is demonstrating how the girl 's look is
deceptive, her thoughts are provocative yet her look is innocent. This also goes to point
out how the boys do not recognize her femininity. Although the girl is beginning to
recognize her attraction to the boys when she looks at them in an objectifying manor
"...their eyes, two each, their legs, two each, and the curves of their sexes, one each..."
(862). The girl begins to do her " wild multiplying" (862) and these desires seem to
overtake her thoughts. At the end of the poem the speaker concludes "...The drops
sparkle and fall to the power of a thousand from her body." (862). This statement seems
to exemplify the feminine power as it emerges out from within her.
The discovery of feminine sexuality through the personal journey of the girl is
exemplified in "The One Girl at The Boys Party" by Sharon Olds. Throughout this poem
mathematics are used as a metaphor to describe the girl 's sexuality in the way that she
uses mathematics to avoid her true feminine sexuality. As the journey of self discovery
concludes the poem ends with the girls discovery of her new femininity, complete with
sexual feelings and desires.
Works Cited
Olds, Sharon. "The One Girl at The Boys Party" Literature An Introduction to Fiction,
Poetry and Drama. Second ed. Eds. X.J.Kennedy. Dana Gioia. Longman, New York
2000. 862