Every one's Choice discussion

Was Florence molested?

There have been a couple of vague references made about Florence's father and her relationship with him, which seemed to leave a somewhat disconcerted feeling of which it felt there was something being left unsaid.

When Florence is lying in bed while Edward is undressing she is brought back to a memory of similar moment with her father:

She remembered the rustle of clothes, the clink of a belt unfastened, or of keys or loose change. Her only task was to keep her eyes closed and think of a tune she liked or any tune..........She usually was sick many times on the crossing, and of no use to her father as a sailor, and that surely was the source of her shame

And earlier in the book she makes a reference to her boat trips with her father in which she remarks she was happy when he stopped taking her. And I believe it was when she started getting older that the boat trips stopped.

So is there meant to be the suggestion that her father was in fact molesting her, and that is the source, or at least a strong contributing factor, to her sexual repression?

I just finished it and now that you mention it, That does make complete sense!!! WOW!! I think you hit it straight on!