Tampon
Selin’s inability to fix a tampon makes her dread intimacy with Ivan. Selin narrates, “I had tried, on multiple occasions, to put in a tampon. No matter what direction I pushed the applicator, or how methodically I tried the different angles, the result was blinding, electric pain.” The pain that comes from the tampon makes Selin afraid of the agony she would experience during sex with Ivan. Selin is becoming conscious of her body. She stops engaging his thoughts in the idea of sex because she reckons that it could be an excruciating experience.
Ethics
Selin attends ethics seminars that elicit lots of critical questions in her mind. She remembers, "A lot of ethical questions were related to causing people to be born. What is morally wrong not to have a child if you knew she would be happy?" The ethical questions entail weighing the costs and the long-term benefits a person would accrue from existing. Selin wonders why people who are unhappy with their existences are not allowed to end their lives before they get messier.
Literary Magazine
Aspiring writers make an effort to appear in literary magazines. The magazine is a confirmation of their writing skills. Selin recounts, “For the application to work on the literary magazine, you had to read a short story, describe its strengths and weaknesses, and say what revisions you would ask for if you were going to publish it. The story they gave you was about a plumber who had sex with a housewife whose toilet he was fixing.” Selin is not in a hurry to appear in the literary magazine like her peers. The application process for appearing in the magazine is intended to test the creativity of the applicants. A writer must come up with original ideas to enhance the story.
