Question

From what point of view is the story “Lust” told? What effect does the switch from “I” to “you” have on the style of the story? Is it essential to the story’s style to have this switch in the point of view?

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The story "Lust" by Susan Minot is told from the point of view of the narrator, a promiscuous young woman who is analyzing sexuality from her own perspective. This means that the story is told from a first-person point of view. This is evident from the very start of the story, where she uses the pronoun "I" to narrate her own story.

Leo was from a long time ago, the first one I ever saw nude. ... I met him the first month away at boarding school. ... I flipped.

The use of the first-person point of view is more effective in this story than switching to a second- (you) or third-person (he, she, they) point of view because, since the girl is telling us her own story, we get the information directly from the source which is most pivotal to the events.
Moreover, the topics that permeate this story are controversial, even in modern times, including promiscuity, underaged sex, male sexuality and toxicity, female sexuality, and the social roles of men and women in relationships.
A first-person point of view offers us a glimpse into the life and mind of the first witness who went through the sequence of events in the story.
We get much more insight and detail when the story comes straight from the primary character (protagonist) than if it comes from a secondhand or thirdhand account.
An example of this can be found in this excerpt:

My parents had no idea. Parents never really know what’s going on, especially when you’re away at school most of the time.

Notice here how the protagonist is able to give us information on how she was able to lead a very sexually active life without her parents having a clue about it.
She is also able to tell us how she felt after her experiences and whether her sexual activity left her fulfilled or unfulfilled. These are some of the benefits of getting a story straight from those who experienced it firsthand versus getting it from a secondary perspective.

Lust

From what point of view is the story “Lust” told? What effect does the switch from “I” to “you” have on the style of the story? Is it essential to the story’s style to have this switch in the point of view?

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