Literary Bond & Prostitution
Risico
Posts: 5MI6 Agent
In YOLT, Bond goes to the 'House of Delight' and gets an 'enthusiastic' prostitute with Dikko Henderson. Before reading this book, I wouldn't think that JB was the type of guy who would pay for sex. He certainly can get enough without paying for it and it doesn't seem like his style. Maybe because it is/was a part of the Japanese culture he just goes with the flow. What does everybody think?
Comments
The more I hear about Benson, the more I think he hasn't read ANY Fleming. Or maybe, he is just out of touch with Bond's personal intricacies.
MBE
Bond goes to a 'house of delight' with Dikko after drinking all night int he beginning of the novel. Later in the novel, Tiger takes him to an old brothel that samurais used to go to that is now an unused sort of museum. So, we're talking about two different places.
Bond is not above using a prostitute. He didn't regret the incident with the prostitue when he was 16 for the sex, but because she stole something -- his camera? his wallet? Bond has very high standards for a woman's appearance, and an ordinary streetwalker would be beneath him and would certainly disappoint him, but he from time to time will express his disgust at the seduction process. He was irritated that Ruby wanted him to say he loved her -- why can't just the lust be enough? He often prefers sex to be frank and honest and about nothing but the physical, and so a prostitute, if she was attractive and clean enough, would be a way of getting that.
[Now, if one wants to get cynical one could say that the HTD was strictly a top class geisha establishment which, in the first chapter, Bond gives the impression would not offer sex for $, and maybe the statement in Goldfinger was simply a result of depression & drink and he actually had no intention of following it up. However, one can say that that 2nd passage infers that he's had experience] There's also the bit in Dr. No where, when they discuss Honeychile's dream job (becoming a call-girl), Bond confesses that "It's quite a long time since [he's] had one." That also seems like he has had at least some experience with the business.
@merseytart
True that, Jetset, but at least Fleming's Bond doesn't fall in love with prostitutes, as he does in Benson!
To answer other questions about Bond and prostitution, the short story The Living Daylights states that Bond is split between visiting a *****house and a museum or something, and the museum (or whatever) wins.
No question, Bond pays for sex. Read the books, it helps in a literary forum.
[edit]This forum censors W H O R E ???????!!!!!!![/edit]
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Now, I'm not sure about what Benson book is being referred to; is it Zero Minus Ten? If he fell in love with the 'prostitute' well, really, the Flemingnesque puritantanical streak is rearing its blushing head. There must be plenty of real life cases where there was a prostitute with the heart of gold. IMO Bond would not be beneath having human affection for such a girl. He takes people as they are, with all their blemishes, this is one of his endearing qualities. On another thread discusing Fleming's LALD, 007 (and his alter ego Fleming) was not a racist, either. He had great affection for Quarrel; and the film paid homage to this with Quarrel's death. While not a great fan of Benson's novels, I concur that Bond wouldn't consider a prostitute beneath him. In fact, he seemed to be attracted to women with flaws, the "bird with the wing down."
All cats are grey?
Why, does he prefer them to go on top?
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