MovieChat Forums > Sophie's Choice (1983) Discussion > Styron's conceit - the ending (spoiler)

Styron's conceit - the ending (spoiler)

posted 15 years ago by thecallalilies
6 replies | jump to latest

I loved the book, and I love this movie. There is just one thing that never rang true to me. I think it was the author's male ego getting in the way of the story. In Sophie's note to Stingo (the author) at the end, she repeatedly says he was a great lover.

First of all, I don't believe Sophie would have slept with him. She was madly in love with Nathan and I don't think she would have slept with anyone else so soon, especially a scrawny kid. I don't believe she would have been so grateful for his proposal that she would sleep with him.

Second, even if she did, I don't think she would have referred to it in her note. She was portrayed in the book and the movie as being modest and embarrassed when Nathan showed attention to her body. Most women would write about emotions in such a letter, not sex. She might apologize for leaving, but would have been too embarassed to acknowledge the sex.

Styron did such a great job writing this female character. This one unlikely thing always makes me laugh and reminds me that the book was written by a man.

... are in bloom again

[–] Paul_Ke 15 years ago

Just because Sophie wrote he was a great lover doesn't necessarily mean she meant it. I felt Sophie was trying to soothe Stingo's ego, just in case Stingo might be wondering if she left him because of poor love-making (afterall, she left him right after they made love). I don't think it was unrealistic for Styron to have her write that to him. Women fake orgasms to appease male insecurities, so why would her telling Stingo that he's a great lover in a letter be so unrealistic?

I also believe that Sophie would sleep with Stingo--who she had become extremely close to and trusted--during a time when she was in need of escape and human acceptance. Yes, she was madly in love with Nathan, but she was also a deeply troubled and emotionally scarred person (understandably so), and Stingo wasn't just some scrawny kid to her, he was a close friend. With her low self-image of herself, Stingo probably seemed like the only person in the world who would love her (at least at the time).

[–] Connie_n_Raymond_Marble 14 years ago

I just rewatched this film today. Stingo explains, in voiceover, the reason why Sophie makes love with him as the scene plays. She has just told him of the choice she had to make. Lovemaking at that time was, for her, an escape from the anguish of that memory. It was the only way she could forget--even if only for a moment. The lovemaking, in that context, makes perfect sense. I also believe Sophie WOULD have mentioned how great a lover Stingo was in her note. She did this to sooth the pain of her leaving. Hope this clarifies things for you.

We'll see whose the filthiest person alive! We'll just see!

[–] GiaJake 11 years ago

I understood that she did sleep with him. It is explicit in the book. The note was to make Stingo feel better about her leaving. I think Stingo sensed what was coming next.

[–] idcook 11 years ago

she repeatedly says he was a great lover.

Sex, in and of itself, does not constitute Love.

Perhaps she means "You were a great person to spend time with in all ways. More considerate of me as a person than some other men I’ve known."

For a person who’s experienced the horrors Sophie has, small acts of human kindness might go a long way.

"Your thinking is untidy, like most so-called thinking today." (Murder, My Sweet)

[–] sherineyousery 10 years ago

Yeah, that part was unrealistic to me too. I think she deeply loved Nathan and would never betray him. Another remark, the whole storyline of the guy on the road who bumps into a wife and a husband is very absurd. I didn't like it at all, and I thought some parts were too long. The scenes of Sophie, when she was younger, were magnificent and jaw-dropping on the other side.

[–] nativenewyorker88 9 years ago

She was humoring him. I can picture her doing that.