Sexuality in Wiseblood

Haze's first sexual experience is an unpleasant one. It is almost as if he has been captured and used by this monstrosity, when it was he who initiated it. It is all the more ironic that it is a female prostitute who is manhandling the male. The ceremony begins as Haze reaches for Leora's big leg. It is a rather strange action in that he does not making any overt sexual advances towards her. He does not find her appealing, he merely wants to have sex. Through the course of the episode, Hazel behaves as if he were pained by his own actions. When Leora grips his hand, he almost reacts violently. In fact, "he might have leaped out the window, if she had not had him so firmly by the arm." As she makes advances towards him, he moves rigidly toward her. Hazel's behavior is similar to that of a person doing penance for sins committed. This is reminiscent of Hazel's actions as a child. O'Connor manages to convert an often joyous and pleasurable experience into a painstaking one. Here, once again, we witness her moralistic attitude toward sexuality: sex for pleasure ought to be painful, for it is wrong.…