#4 Write a biographical sketch of the narrator using clues that are further developed in the first 5 paragraphs. Comment on her relationship with Clara, Butch, and Ganz.
Leah Bartram
ENG 102
The Literary Log on The Girl: Question #4
The first five paragraphs of The Girl will be used to answer questions about the narrator including when and where her story takes place as well as her family background and personality type. Additionally, relationships with Clara, Butch, and Ganz will be discussed. It is a compliment to the author of The Girl that five paragraphs enable a reader to build a biography based on what is clear and what is suggested.
The narrator is probably a young girl who is working in a city where her view of the city is based on what her mother has told her. Because of her mother telling her about the “terrible things that could be happening to you” (1), she states that she is “scared most of the time” (1). Her scared state and advice quoted by her mother imply that the narrator may be as young as sixteen to eighteen years of age. The title, The Girl, also implies that the narrator is young.
The narrator has moved from perhaps a rural area where country people often stereotype the city dwellers as evil doers. The narrator explains that her mama told her that cities were “Sodom and Gomorrah” (1). Based on this comparison, the narrator’s mother is probably religious and has taught her daughter the importance of the Bible.
The mother wants to make sure her daughter knows that cities are dangerous, and perhaps if the narrator’s mother has never lived anywhere but in the country, she can only compare any city to Sodom and Gomorrah. Although not said, the mother could know that God destroyed the two cities because of the evil doers and fears that the same could happen to any city and fears for her daughter’s safety. Although the first few paragraphs do not indicate this, another possibility is that the mother is jealous that her daughter is leaving and is using fear as a manipulative tactic. At this point, it is not clear whether the narrator is close to her mother.
The story takes place during the Great Depression based on the fact that the narrator mentions that she was “lucky to get a job in those bad times” (1). She also mentions the “bootleg room” (1) so comparing the time of the Great Depression, when the stock market crashed, and the Prohibition era, the year may have been anywhere from 1929 to 1933.
Although the girl’s educational level is not mentioned, the girl may have had very little schooling because during this time, it was common for young women to drop out of school since their help was often needed at home. In some instances, families didn’t have extra money for books or clothes.
The narrator has not listened to her mother evidenced by the fact that she is a waitress in a bar that sells bootleg. Based on earlier advice, her mother would probably say that terrible things could easily happen in this type of environment. Does this mean that the young girl can tell you what her authority says, but she will do what she has to do to survive? She says that she is “lucky to get a job” (1) and mentions the “walking and hunting Clara and I had been doing” (1). Based on these statements, it sounds as though she did not purposely seek a job where illegal practices occurred but could find nothing else.
Clara appears to be the narrator’s friend as she talks about having looked for a job with her. She also mentions that she is “lucky to have Clara showing me how to wander on the street…” (1). At this point, I wonder why Clara is wandering on the streets. Because Clara knows how to do this and “not be picked up by plainclothesmen and police matrons” (1), it appears that she is a prostitute.
If the narrator was brought up in a religious home, it may be fair to ask why she is keeping company with this type of woman. If moral values were instilled in her, why would she settle for this relationship and type of work? Morals and a hungry belly may part company where the hungry belly is attended to first.
The narrator can tell you what her mother has said, but she now can share new information learned from Clara. Just as her mother has warned her, so has Clara. She explained that if picked up on the street, they will “give you tests and sterilize you or send you to the woman’s prison” (1). The narrator says she likes to “hear about it” (1), an interesting choice of words. The fact that the girl enjoys hearing Clara’s stories adds evidence to the character’s naivety.
Clara continues to be the narrator’s protector. She warns her about the bar and “what was going on up there” (1), but more than words, her actions appear to be selfless interventions for her friend. The young girl explained that rather than have her face Ganz, the bar’s protector, Clara would take her place “when Belle told me to take them beer” (1).
With Clara taking the young girl’s place when serving beer to Ganz, a negative opinion is already formed about him. What did he do to make the young girl uncomfortable? Ganz may be the villain, and it is easy to figure that as the story evolves, he will not be liked. Based on this observation and the young girl saying that when he passed her “I shivered” (1), it can be assumed that Ganz tries to intimidate or make passes towards desperate women.
The narrator recognizes that Ganz is important. The German Village, the name of the place where the girl is working, is enabled by Ganz’s actions. According to Clara, he has “brought in bootleg from Dakota and paid protection for the place” (1). Based on the protection that Ganz is able to provide, it is easy to speculate that Ganz is a part of a gang or mafia. Because of Ganz’s services, the young girl walks a fine line where she tries to avoid him, but she recognizes the important role he plays.
Many stories involve a love interest, and the narrator’s relationship will probably revolve around Butch. Although the narrator has not yet said anything about Butch, Clara says to her, “You’re hot on that Butch” (1). Either the young girl has confided in Clara about her feelings toward Butch, or maybe Clara has read the young girl’s face. Often, a young innocent girl shows infatuation that more mature women and men can easily read. It is easy to imagine a pretty young girl with a tray in her hand looking dreamily towards the door. Perhaps her knight in shining armor will love and rescue her from the grips of the users and takers who are constantly knocking at her door. How long can she fight them off before they hurt her? Perhaps Butch is the way out of this hopeless mess.
According to the young narrator, Butch gets “spruced up on Saturday nights” (1) indicating that Butch may have his prey, the girl, in sight. After all, Clara, who is street start and probably man smart, recognizes that Butch is a “dangerous cat” (1). With this comparison, it can be surmised that he may be dangerous because of his background or his cunningness with women. In any event, Clara can see that her friend should beware. Being naïve, the young girl probably has no idea what this man can cost her. In spite of Clara’s warnings about Butch, will the young girl listen? Has the young girl listened to her mother? The young girl listens, but just as she is in a city working in an illegal environment, the advice can be quoted but not taken.
Although I have gone into detail to establish a biography of the narrator and the relationships with Clara, Butch, and Ganz, I can condense both areas from what is actually written in the first five paragraphs and the clues that are presented. The narrator is a young poorly educated girl (perhaps sixteen to eighteen years of age) who moved from the country to the city. She was raised by a religious mother. The story takes place during the Great Depression and Prohibition (1929 to 1933). The girl is vulnerable and naïve with opinions based on what others have told her. As far as the relationships go, there is Clara, the friend, protector, and adviser; Ganz, the villain; and Butch, the love interest. It will be interesting to see how the story evolves answering questions I already have about the narrator. I wonder how she will overcome obstacles, and I always hope for a happy ending.
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