Love is Sturgeon's great theme, and his short stories explore both the dark and bright sides. "Bianca's Hands" (E Pluribus Unicorn; first published in 1947 but written in 1939) is a haunting account of a young man's obsession with the beautiful hands of an otherwise ugly and idiotic woman. Ultimately he marries the woman, just to be near her hands. And on their wedding night, he blissfully allows the hands to strangle him. In other stories (as in Godbody, 1986) Sturgeon is intent on broadening his readers' understanding and tolerance of variant forms of human sexuality. "The World Well Lost" (E Pluribus Unicorn, 1953) attacks the unthinking fear and hatred of homosexuals in American society. There is a fairly elaborate science fictional framework, but in essence the story is simply a call for compassion and tolerance......
