Out of the Easy

In drawing comparisons between the French Quarter and Uptown, the novel stresses differences in society and class. The Quarter and Uptown are physically different: The Quarter is busy, dirty, loud, and often dangerous, while Uptown is clean, quiet, and safe. Josie observes the stench of the Quarter, saying, “If the Quarter smelled this bad in cool weather, it would reek this spring and be simply rancid by summer” (12). Meanwhile, in Uptown, “[b]irds chirped, and the perfume of winter jasmine float[s] out onto the sidewalk, hanging around the shrubbery” (72).

The novel also portrays an unequal division between the classes. On the surface, the French Quarter and Uptown are firmly separate. At the Lockwell party, Josie and Patrick stand out and struggle to fit in because of their clothes and answers about their families. Those from Uptown have a pedigree that cannot be faked. Josie thinks, “Mother was prettier than all the women at the Lockwells’ party, but she didn’t carry herself with the same poise or confidence as the other ladies” (84). On the other hand, those from Uptown are welcomed into the Quarter because of the money they bring. Even though women in Uptown believe the Quarter is dangerous and corrupt, this is of course not true. The Quarter attracts men from Uptown because it provides sex, nightlife, and excitement.

While those who live in the Quarter are treated like criminals, the reality is that the upper class engages in just as much debauchery, and simply hide it better. The metaphor of the Lockwell’s home illustrates this as Josie and Patrick find a popular low-brow romance novel hidden in the home’s library shelves. Josie is amazed that the home does not have “a single smoke or bloodstain,” and Patrick retorts, “Not that you can see” (74). The upper class act as if they have no stains, displaying photographs of their seemingly happy families in expensive frames for everyone to see. They are not better people than the residents of the Quarter, and Mr. Lockwell demonstrates this with the secret apartment that he uses to cheat on his wife. Moreover, class and wealth are not determining factors for who is “good” or “bad.” Cokie tells Josie that rich people are “soul broke” (83), but Josie knows that her “Mother [is] soul broke, too” (84). Anyone can have a broken moral compass.

Josie grows up in a world where women are commodities to be bought. From a young age, she witnesses her mother working as a prostitute, and the novel’s first line—“My mother’s a prostitute” (1)—shows how this shapes Josie’s life. Because Josie is raised in an environment where her mother has sex for money, she has a negative attitude toward sexuality. In her view, men treat women poorly, and her lack of a father makes her even more wary of men. She admits, “most men [scare] me, so I [create] make-believe dads like Forrest Hearne” (79). Hearne treats her with respect and believes in her; he does not act inappropriately like many of the men around Willie’s house do toward Josie. Apart from Cokie and Charlie, the older men Josie interacts with are predatory. For example, Walter Sutherland, a regular at Willie’s, offers Josie a significant amount of money to take her virginity. He and other men throughout the novel assume that Josie will one day be sexually available to them and work at Willie’s. Josie is determined for this to not be the case.

Because of the things she sees and experiences as the daughter of a prostitute, Josie shies away from Jesse’s advances and instead clings to Patrick. Patrick is the safe and comfortable option, where there is already an established intimacy due to a long friendship. Josie does not have to make herself vulnerable around him. She surprises herself that when he kisses her, she “let[s] him kiss [her] and [doesn’t] fight him off” (205). Patrick is gay and in love with James, and when he kisses Josie, it is not sexual in nature. He assures her that the kiss is not “out of pity” (275), and although he surely has strong affection for her, stating, “If I could, I would…choose you” (256), his feelings for Josie are platonic. His lack of physical aggression toward Josie is part of what makes her interested in him.

Josie initially resists Jesse’s interest in her because their mutual attraction makes her uncomfortable. While sitting on Jesse’s lap at the soda shop, his whispers “[make] something quiver in [her] stomach. A nervous feeling [takes] over” (135). On a later day, when Jesse moves closer to her face to kiss her, “[her] body jerk[s] with panic and [her] fists [leap] to [her] chest” (200). Even though she knows Jesse will not hurt her, she cannot help but react that way. The physical attraction between them is threatening to Josie because of her negative connotations of sex and men. Her feelings toward Jesse begin to shift when she realizes that he offers her both excitement and comfort. Riding on the back of his motorcycle fills her with adrenaline; she can feel risk and safety at the same time. Moreover, Jesse and Josie often simply sit together in silence. While other men like Mr. Lockwell often try to take advantage of Josie and enjoy playing games with her, Jesse is genuine and respectful.

The French Quarter itself is depicted as a place of sexuality and debauchery, especially in the eyes of the Uptown residents. Rich men travel into the Quarter to drink and visit houses like Willie’s, while their wives act like the Quarter lures their husbands to illicit activity. Josie knows that this is not true, and is familiar with how men, regardless of social standing, act. Josie is not the only one who is sexualized, however. Jesse is frequently sexualized throughout the novel, by everyone from Josie’s mother to Miss Paulsen. Women are attracted to his good looks and the rich girls like to try “slummin’ with Jesse” (135) to have some adventure.

The novel also plays with the gender expectations of 1950s society. At that time, women were largely expected to marry and stay home. Josie is focused on getting an elite education instead of getting married, or worse, becoming like her mother. Even when Jesse officially becomes her boyfriend, the idea of staying behind in New Orleans to be with him is not discussed. Jesse serves as the antithesis of the 1950s male partner, as he supports Josie’s goals instead of preventing them. Patrick, as a handsome and intelligent young man, would be expected to marry and start a family, just like Josie would. Living in a time when being gay is not accepted, Patrick must hide who he really is, and he even leaves the country to put distance between himself and James. The novel leaves it unclear whether Patrick will return to be with James.

Additionally, Josie is headstrong and self-sufficient, much like Willie, combating the decade’s image of the stereotypical housewife. Josie chooses to go by “Jo,” and nobody calls Willie by any other name. Both Jo and Willie are men’s names, which symbolizes their refusal to act as weak or submissive women. They both stand up to men and use men the same way men try to use women. From their names and fraught interactions with men to their independence and courage, both characters embody resistance to the gender expectations of their era.