#tvs-analysis

hi hi hi i'm back to do some analysis! i've been thinking a lot about the theme of american society and its falling apart in tvs recently. i found it really interesting that the narrators sometimes talk about the lisbon sisters' suicides as a symptom of their own suburb falling apart rather than its own isolated event.

i think the time span of approx. 1974-1976 really significant as well because it was a time of great social upheaval, especially in the united states. some important mentions:

politics:

watergate scandal: undermined much of modern politics and eroded government trust

increase in crime rates: crime rate had been steadily rising since 1960, increasing by 2mil between just 1973 and 1974 (source)

ongoing cold war and space race: mostly self explanatory

as a part of the cold war, proxy wars such as the yom kippur war were ongoing (many others as well that i'm not mentioning but there were literally so many it would be impossible to list concisely while acknowledging the historical context and implications for american society. everyone give a cheer for the us military! (heavy sarcasm))

end of us involvement in the vietnam war: putting this on a seperate line because i think it's particularly important. the us stops providing aid to southern vietnam in 1973, and the war itself ends in 1975. the vietnam war sparked a massive counter-cultural movement in the us and, similarly to watergate, undermined political trust

conclusion: during this period, the us was unusually politically unstable (relative to prior years)

economics:

the 1973-1975 period is considered to be when the post-WW2 economic boom started to end and there was an economic recession, which would add to general feelings of social unrest

oil/energy prices increased sharply during this period as well

conclusion: during this period, the us was having major economic issues and high levels of unemployment

cultural:

rocky horror picture show: somewhat minor but the rhps premiered on broadway in 1975, which i would argue was a symptom of the growing queer rights movement as well as general counter-culture that was prominent in the us at the time

united states bicentennial: important on several axes but i think cultural in particular

roe v. wade: judgement legalising abortion passes in 1975 (important politically as well but yeah)

conclusion: counter-cultural movement growing in importance, but bicentennial makes people reflect on tradition

OVERALL CONCLUSION: the virgin suicides is deliberately set during a time of turmoil and change within the united states, as teenage demographics are struck with a changing world that is less safe* than the one they and their parents grew up in. by doing this, eugenides sets the tone for tvs as a narrative of a society in flux. as this period is also one where economic growth and suburbanisation begin to slow, it also foreshadows the decay of their peaceful suburban neighbourhood, itself heralded by the suicides of the lisbon sisters.