“A Love Song for Ms. Lillian”: The Victimless Courtesan Critical Analysis A victim can be defined as a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime; in the novel, Miss Lillian simply does not fit this description. The narrative focuses on the life of Miss Lillian, the town “courtesan”. Although her job title is not one that people adore, she has notable respect in the community. Women envy her because their husbands admire her beauty and sometimes use her services. Miss Lillian is a respected member of the Guyanese society despite her line of work. She has some misfortunes throughout her life, but in no way can be considered a victim. In the short story, A Love Song for Miss Lillian, author Mark McWatt depicts the Guyanese society as a tolerant community due to the considerate way the citizens refuse to victimize Miss Lillian for her profession. Miss Lillian is respected by members of the government and people with high power in the Guyanese society. Judge Ramcharitar wouldn’t allow Raymond to refer to Miss Lillian as a “prostitute” because she has honorable status in the community. This is displayed in the quote, “Come, come, my boy, one would never use that term to describe Miss Lillian; she’s too beautiful, too refined: her traffic in the pleasures of the flesh is too delicately managed and too intricate and exciting for such a word to describe it justly” (McWatt,168). Due to her fame and beauty, Miss Lillian is seen as more than a prostitute and anything less would be considered disrespectful. She is no ordinary courtesan, she takes pride in her work and makes sure that all her customers are satisfied. Her name has a deeper meaning, that leaves a a lasting impression on everyone she meets. Miss Lillian experienced both love and hate from the Guyanese community. “Miss Lillian who makes all the husbands avert their eyes and wink and snicker at the mention of her name — and makes all the wives nervous, imagining, knowing that many of their husbands visit her…” (McWatt, 172). Just like any other famous person, Miss Lillian has people that glorify her occupation and others that shun her because of it. The admiration of Miss Lillian from the male citizens causes distress among the women. The vast amount of attention that she gains makes the wives question the status of their marriages. She fills the void in the men’s lives by providing them with aspects that they are not receiving from their wives. For instance, “His father had turned to Miss Lillian for passion; he, who had never known passion,” (McWatt, 174). Therefore, Miss Lillian was providing her clients with emotional and sexual stability. The women in the Guyanese community viewed Miss Lillian as a threat, causing her to have conflicts with the wives of her customers. On the contrary, men viewed her as an escape from their everyday lives, therefore, providing them with happiness. The opposing, view Miss Lillian as a victim because people in the community didn’t appreciate her occupation. While trying to view Jeff Rose after the burial, his wife spit on Miss Lillian for simply paying her respects. Throughout her life she only experienced a few mishaps with the people in the community. For example in the short story, Miss Lillian was forced to pay higher amounts for products at the store. This is portrayed in the quote,“…when the people in the customs department were giving her a hard time. They took to charging her exorbitant amounts for the outfits of clothing and the few luxury items…” (McWatt 180). This treatment was unfair but it still does not fit the definition of a victim. If anything, it fits the definition of unequal treatment that separates her from the rest of society. When Miss Lillian brought this problem to the president, he made sure that she was treated fairly. Despite the fact that people disliked Miss Lillian’s job no one victimized her, they still included her in functions in the community. She was a victim of isolated inequality but not by the entire Guyanese society. In conclusion, Miss Lillian is not a victim in the Guyanese society because she has notable respect from the majority of the community. She does not fit the description of a victim because she wasn’t harmed or injured by anyone. She was merely treated differently by a select few people because of their personal insecurities. When Miss Lillian reported these incidents the problems were quickly addressed. Therefore, although her occupation isn’t considered respectable among the Guyanese culture, the people in the community think highly of her because of the classy way she carries herself.