The Virgin Suicides

by

Jeffrey Eugenides

Chase Buell Character Analysis

Chase Buell is one of the neighborhood boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. When the boys go over to the Lisbon house at the end of the novel with the intention of “saving” the girls, they proudly tell Lux that they can use Chase Buell’s car (which is actually his mother’s) to drive them somewhere far away. Lux indulges this idea, though she suggests that they should take the Lisbon family’s car because it’s bigger. She also starts unbuckling Chase’s belt and reaching into his pants, much to the utter and complete surprise of not just Chase but all of the other boys. But when Lux hears a thump (the sound of Bonnie hanging herself), she stops fiddling with Chase’s pants and says she’s going to wait in the garage, where she asphyxiates herself in her parents’ car.
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Chase Buell Character Timeline in The Virgin Suicides

The timeline below shows where the character Chase Buell appears in The Virgin Suicides. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Obsession, Gossip, and Scandal Theme Icon
Loss, Mourning, and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...“out of touch with reality.” Still, the boys continue to take Cecilia’s diary up to Chase Buell’s attic, where they read passages aloud—passages some of them still know by heart years... (full context)
Chapter 4
Coming of Age and Nostalgia Theme Icon
Suburban Life, Class, and Decline Theme Icon
The boys explain that they have the use of Chase Buell’s car (or, rather, his mother’s). They can load the Lisbon girls in and drive... (full context)
Obsession, Gossip, and Scandal Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Nostalgia Theme Icon
Loss, Mourning, and Uncertainty Theme Icon
Lux points out that not everyone will fit in Chase Buell’s car, so they should probably take the Lisbon car. She asks Chase if he... (full context)
Suburban Life, Class, and Decline Theme Icon
Loss, Mourning, and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...will need help with their luggage. She also asks where they should all go, and Chase Buell says Florida. Lux approves of his decision and then goes into the garage. Left... (full context)
Obsession, Gossip, and Scandal Theme Icon
Suburban Life, Class, and Decline Theme Icon
Loss, Mourning, and Uncertainty Theme Icon
...asphyxiation, the car purring and the radio playing in the dark garage. She had unbuckled Chase’s belt just to stall them, waiting to hear the signal of Bonnie’s trunk tipping over... (full context)