Going into The Price of Salt, I found myself having a hard time remembering that the book was banned largely because of its homosexual subject matter. I think this says a good thing about the current times, that at least enough progress has been made that many Americans wouldn't consider this subject matter grounds for censorship (not to say that there isn't still huge amounts of progress to be made, but at least we're moving in the right direction). I kept thinking, "What is so offensive about this?" It made me wonder what the reasons were for banning this book and I decided it had to be at least one of several things: 1) Gay romance, for whatever reason, simply makes some people uncomfortable. 2) People consider homosexuality to be "immoral". 3) People were afraid that exposure to homosexual content might turn their children, spouses, themselves gay. It was interesting, for lack of a better word, to see homosexuality get added to the list of topics that get censored.
Therese has such hesitation when it comes to acting on her feelings for Carol and at first I thought she was just being a weak person. Then I reminded myself again that homosexuality was criticized much more back in the fifties, so Therese's reservations were more understandable. Becoming involved with someone of the same sex can still be a daunting thing today, especially if it's the person's first gay relationship. So as I continued reading, I tried to keep the fifties' perspective in mind.
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