United States: Essays 1952-1992 Chapter Summary & Analysis - "The Birds and the Bees" (1991) Summary

"The Birds and the Bees" (1991) Summary and Analysis

In this tongue-in-cheek essay, Vidal decides to "set the record straight" on the subject of sex. His first revelation: "Men and women are not alike. They have different roles to perform. Despite the best efforts of theologians and philosophers to disguise our condition, there is no point to us, or to any species, except proliferation and survival. We are biped animals filled with red sea water (reminder of our oceanic origin), and we exist to reproduce until we are eventually done in by the planet's changing weather or a stray meteor."

Vidal speculates that "love" was invented by some unknown artist because the cycle of reproduction and death, endlessly repeated, was just too depressing. From early tribal extended families evolved the "prenuclear" family, and "Skygods" were created in the image of man, giving rise to monotheistic religions. Those religions "from which we continue to suffer" are based on the only...
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