Character list
- Girl 1 (narrator)
- Girl 2
- Marilyn Monroe
- Clerk
- Cashier
major Character analysis
Girl 1 (narrator)
The narrator is a 20 year old girl, who is a poet attending NYU. Awkwardly tall for a woman in 1956, with stringy red hair, whose name is never mentioned. Dressed in her "army surplus jackets, baggy kahki pants, and zip up rubber boots," on a snowy winter evening, her and her friend embark on their usual trip to their favorite used book store. The story itself is written to the other girl in the story, seemingly retelling a memory they shared. Throughout the story we follow the narrator and her undeniable love for her friend. She adored her friend yet feared her, for she knew she could break her heart. Undeniabley quizical, headstrong, intellectually sophisticated, yet emotionally unpredictable; she is mature yet immature. She is also more pushy, and a more formal poet than her friend. When the girls spot Marilyn Monroe our narrator becomes protective over her, and makes it her mission to make sure no one recognizes her. She even goes as far as buying all of her books so she doesn't have to face the cashier. By the end we are told that this magical evening wasn't just becasue of Marilyn Monroe, but it was the first time the narrator kissed her friend.
Girl 2
Not much is told for the second girl in the story. She is a 19 year old girl, who is also a poet attending NYU. Described by our narrator as "petite ad dark haired and attractive with long -lashed Semitic sloe eyes." She is more adventurous and experimental than our narrator, yet they shared the same love for poetry. She is dressed just as the narrator in, "army surplus jackets, baggy kahki pants, and zip up rubber boots." She also was more self absorbed, often changing herself in order to show off to superficial people. One notable aspect of this character is how often she stops the narrator from doing something irrational or to calm her down. For example, "you nudged me in the ribs to sober me, gave me a glare signalling Don't be rude, don't ruin this for all of us."
Marilyn monroe
Marilyn Monroe does not capture her normal Hollywood glamour that people usually expect of her in this story. Rather she is a "reader," dresses in men's clothes and seems rather un-glamorous. Her hair is in a braid rather than her usual bouncy curls, and she was in a used book store rather than Tiffany's. She tries to be as normal, and anomynous as possible, scouring the shelves for books and keeping cover at the same time. Not only does Marilyn not seem to look the part, but she is also not accompanied by her usual "Leading Man" nor a dark prince. For this "Marilyn Monroe" Hollywood character that had been created was already placed into history, no matter if there was more intellectuality than often presented.