Paul Bowles Week II

As we continue to discuss The Delicate Prey, I'd like us to think about the ways that Bowles addresses racy subject matter. We're living in a blunt time, so I think it can be useful as writers to see how earlier writers (in this case, 1950s-era) depicted edgy subject matter. In these stories so far, we've seen drug use, drug dealing and addiction, rape, theft, adultery, homosexuality. Most of these subjects are addressed in a subtle, glancing fashion. Can you discuss the way, using examples, that Bowles achieves this?

Also, I wanted you to be aware of Bowles' use of irony, particularly the way that he gets us to see situations or characters in a way that they don't see themselves. For instance, did you notice that Nicho sells the drug (probably opium) to the people in the town for a peso (about a half-dollar) and that they're very eager to buy from him rather than Senor Ong? Or as Aisling mentions elsewhere, Aileen clearly hates Prue because she's a lesbian and sleeping w/ her mother although she doesn't seem to be aware of why she hates her.

One other question: How does Bowles write about race and class? Or put another way: What do you think he thinks about white people? (Btw, he's white.)