Question

Sixteen," by Maureen Daly Describe the character of the narrator in 100 words. Cite evidence from the story to support your description.

Answer 1

In "Sixteen" by Maureen Daly, the narrator expresses how she is an intuitive teenage girl; she knows the trends, and she is up-to-date with the world. She also immediately insists that "I’m not so really dumb. I know what a girl should do and what she shouldn’t". Not only does she describe what she should and shouldn't wear, when she arrives at the skating rink she describes the sky and her surroundings, implying that she is highly detail oriented.

After she states twice that she was not a "dumb" girl, and giving reasons why she wasn't, we realize she was trying to reassure herself of the fact. All logic is out the window once she mets with her love interest, and she feels dumb for believing that he would call her; "for all of a sudden I know, what the stars knew all the time ---- he’ll never, never call --- never".

Answer 2

At the beginning of the story "Sixteen" the narrator wants to asure the reader, " I want you to understand from the beginning that I’m not really so dumb" which leads the reader to believe that she is inexperienced. The narrator also wants you to make sure you know about her fashion as shown in this passage, "I know it's smart to wear tweed skirts and tight fitting sweaters and ballerina shoes. And I know that your hair should be short with that look of careful carelessness, and the peasant hankie should be draped cleverly around your neck, fastened with a ring. Now, me, I never wear a hankie, it makes my face seem too wide. I'm not exactly too small-town either. I read the Broadway columns. You get to know what New York boy is crazy about what Hollywood actress on the West Coast and what starlet is currently the prettiest and who eventually, will play Joan of Arc. It gives you that worldly feeling. I know that it is absolutely forbidden to wear coloured ankle-socks with highheeled shoes or use Evening in Paris perfume with a tweed suit." Although it seems that she is a really good person note that she says, "It was winter night like any other night. And I didn't have  chemistry done either," which can lead the reader to believe that she may not be the most reliable person. When she meets the boy though she is no longer worried about keeping up with her appearances or anything else, she just wants to be with the "big shot" and the "best dancer in town." Her experience with the boy and her just waiting and hoping for the boy to call shows her youth and also shows the softness for the hard exterior she had created.