Prompt 10

In Neuromancer, Gibson presents two views of sex. He shows sex as something meaningful and engaged in by two individuals that truly care of one another. He also presents sex as something strictly physical and deeply twisted, often associated with two other motifs- death and violence. Gibson first mentions sex when he tells of Case and Linda Lee. The act was not condemned because it was obvious Case had deep feelings, maybe even loved, Linda Lee. As the book progresses, Linda Lee is seen to be the one person that Wintermute spoke through that could emotionally affect Case. In encounters with Linda Lee is when we saw emotions from Case. Linda Lee is even said to have loved Case herself, and in the Land of the Dead, when they are together, things are good. I would have been satisfied with an ending to Neuromancer where Case ended up in the Land of the Dead with Linda Lee forever. Gibson's association of sex with love makes it meaningful. Even when Case had sex with Molly, though they were not in love, they truly cared for one another and that is enough. Sex with caring and loving emotions has been taught to be "good" sex, the sex we should engage in ourselves. Gibson also presented another view of sex, as strictly physical. This side of sex is shown through Molly's past as a prostitute. The reason this view of sex does not take away from Gibson's positive argument of sex in the novel is because Molly's prostitute sex was only physical. She could not and was not suppose to remember it. Therefore, Gibson is saying that if sex is not with the one you care about, you shouldn't be tortured to remember it. He stresses this point by always associating death and violence with unwanted sex, for example, Molly's experience as a prostitute after she got her body modification finger nails.