The Price of Salt

Patricia Highsmith published The Price of Salt in 1952 under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, because of the lesbian relationship between the two main characters—Therese and Carol. The Price of Salt is a romance, mystery, and coming-of-age tale. Highsmith wrote many short stories and over 20 novels. Like her other works, The Price of Salt contains autobiographical elements; like Therese, Highsmith worked at a department store, became captivated by a woman she met there, and was also a lesbian. The novel confronts themes like The Consequences of Love, Atomization and Alienation, and Love, Obsession, and Learning to Let Go. In 2015, Todd Haynes turned Highsmith’s novel into an Oscar-nominated film, Carol, starring Rooney Mara as Therese and Cate Blanchett as Carol.

This guide refers to the edition published in 2004 by W. W. Norton & Company.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include depictions of anti-lesbian bias.

Plot Summary

Therese is a 19-year-old young woman living in New York City. She wants to design sets for the theater, but set-designing jobs don’t come easy, so she works in the toy department—specifically, the doll section—of Frankenberg’s department store. Therese feels alienated and isolated, but she connects with an older coworker, Ruby Robicheck, who works in the sweater department.