The Price of Salt
Encyclopedia
The Price of Salt is a romance
novel by Patricia Highsmith
, written under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. The author – known as a suspense writer following the publication of her previous book, Strangers on a Train – became notorious due to the story's latent lesbian content and happy ending, the latter having been unprecedented in homosexual fiction.
In a foreword, written many years later as part of the re-release by Naiad Press
, Highsmith recalled that the novel was inspired by a mysterious woman she happened across in a shop and briefly stalked
. She then became sick with chickenpox
and began working at a furious speed the next day, the story having taken shape in her head whilst she was sleeping the previous night.
department store
. Therese is just starting out her adult life in Manhattan
, and looking for her chance to break through into her dream job as an apprentice theater set designer. Therese was semi-abandoned as a small girl by her widowed mother, who sends Therese to a Catholic
boarding school
. She is dating a young man, Richard, whom she does not love and does not want to sleep with.
On a long and boring day working in the toy department of the department store, Therese is struck by an elegant and beautiful woman in her thirties, whom she serves. The woman, Carol, gives her address to Therese in order to have her purchases delivered. On an impulse, Therese sends Carol a card to her home address. Carol, who is going through a difficult separation and divorce
and is herself quite lonely, unexpectedly responds, and the two begin to spend time together. Therese develops a strong attachment to Carol, but she is unsure how to understand her feelings. Therese's boyfriend accuses Therese of having a "schoolgirl crush" but Therese knows it is more than that: she is in love with Carol. Carol's husband, Harge, is suspicious of Carol's relationship with Therese, whom he meets briefly when Therese stays over at Carol's house. Carol had previously admitted to Harge that she had a short-lived homosexual relationship with her best friend, Abby. Harge is furious, and takes the couple's daughter to live with him, pending the final divorce proceedings. To escape from the tension in New York, Carol and Therese take a road trip West, over the course of which it becomes clear that the feelings both women have for each other are romantic and sexual. They become physically as well as emotionally intimate and declare their love for each other.
The women are unaware that Carol's husband has hired a Private Investigator
to follow them and collect any evidence that would incriminate Carol as homosexual in the upcoming custody hearings. The eerie P.I. is a typical figure in Highsmith's writing. He taps the room in which Carol and Therese first make love. Carol stops him on the road and demands that he hand over any evidence against her. The P.I. sells Carol some tapes, at a high price, but then tells her that he has already sent several tapes and other evidence to Harge in New York. Carol knows that she will lose custody and most visitation rights to her daughter if she continues her relationship with Therese. Carol leaves Therese out West and heads back to New York to fight for her daughter. She tells Therese that she cannot continue their relationship. Therese is heartbroken, but her strength of character allows her to try to rebuild her life in New York.
In court, Carol has to choose between her daughter and Therese. Carol loses badly in court, but the book's ending is unusually optimistic compared to those of lesbian pulp novels, as it suggests that Carol and Therese might stay together and be happy after all.
, The Price of Salt was popular among lesbians in the 1950s. The book fell out of print but was re-issued by Naiad Press and a number of other feminist and lesbian presses.
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
novel by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer most widely known for her psychological thrillers, which led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, has been adapted for stage and screen numerous times, notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951...
, written under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. The author – known as a suspense writer following the publication of her previous book, Strangers on a Train – became notorious due to the story's latent lesbian content and happy ending, the latter having been unprecedented in homosexual fiction.
In a foreword, written many years later as part of the re-release by Naiad Press
Naiad press
Naiad Press was one of the first publishing companies dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world.-History:...
, Highsmith recalled that the novel was inspired by a mysterious woman she happened across in a shop and briefly stalked
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
. She then became sick with chickenpox
Chickenpox
Chickenpox or chicken pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus . It usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring...
and began working at a furious speed the next day, the story having taken shape in her head whilst she was sleeping the previous night.
Plot summary
The novel's two main characters are Therese Belivet, a lonely young woman, and Carol, the elegant stranger Therese encounters one day at her temporary job in a New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
. Therese is just starting out her adult life in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and looking for her chance to break through into her dream job as an apprentice theater set designer. Therese was semi-abandoned as a small girl by her widowed mother, who sends Therese to a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. She is dating a young man, Richard, whom she does not love and does not want to sleep with.
On a long and boring day working in the toy department of the department store, Therese is struck by an elegant and beautiful woman in her thirties, whom she serves. The woman, Carol, gives her address to Therese in order to have her purchases delivered. On an impulse, Therese sends Carol a card to her home address. Carol, who is going through a difficult separation and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
and is herself quite lonely, unexpectedly responds, and the two begin to spend time together. Therese develops a strong attachment to Carol, but she is unsure how to understand her feelings. Therese's boyfriend accuses Therese of having a "schoolgirl crush" but Therese knows it is more than that: she is in love with Carol. Carol's husband, Harge, is suspicious of Carol's relationship with Therese, whom he meets briefly when Therese stays over at Carol's house. Carol had previously admitted to Harge that she had a short-lived homosexual relationship with her best friend, Abby. Harge is furious, and takes the couple's daughter to live with him, pending the final divorce proceedings. To escape from the tension in New York, Carol and Therese take a road trip West, over the course of which it becomes clear that the feelings both women have for each other are romantic and sexual. They become physically as well as emotionally intimate and declare their love for each other.
The women are unaware that Carol's husband has hired a Private Investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
to follow them and collect any evidence that would incriminate Carol as homosexual in the upcoming custody hearings. The eerie P.I. is a typical figure in Highsmith's writing. He taps the room in which Carol and Therese first make love. Carol stops him on the road and demands that he hand over any evidence against her. The P.I. sells Carol some tapes, at a high price, but then tells her that he has already sent several tapes and other evidence to Harge in New York. Carol knows that she will lose custody and most visitation rights to her daughter if she continues her relationship with Therese. Carol leaves Therese out West and heads back to New York to fight for her daughter. She tells Therese that she cannot continue their relationship. Therese is heartbroken, but her strength of character allows her to try to rebuild her life in New York.
In court, Carol has to choose between her daughter and Therese. Carol loses badly in court, but the book's ending is unusually optimistic compared to those of lesbian pulp novels, as it suggests that Carol and Therese might stay together and be happy after all.
Literary significance and criticism
Because of the happy ending (or at least an ending with the possibility of happiness) that defied the lesbian pulp formula and because of the unconventional characters that defied stereotypes about homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, The Price of Salt was popular among lesbians in the 1950s. The book fell out of print but was re-issued by Naiad Press and a number of other feminist and lesbian presses.