An Analysis of The Little Convent Girl Essay -- Little Convent Girl Es

An Analysis of The Little Convent Girl Grace Kings The Little Convent Girl is an excellent example of post-Civil War realism incorporating a trick-ending. In this local ruse short story, King methodically lures the reader into a false belief that her story is about an insignificant and nameless young girl who, after xii years seclusion in a convent, is exposed to the fervor and excitement of a steamboat trip d have the Mississippi River. The success of Ms. Kings trick-ending is achieved through three staple fiber elements 1) de-emphasizing the importance of the main character, 2) tidbits of information followed by wordy misdirection, and 3) a false climax. Ms. King masterfully downplays the importance of the flyspeck convent girl by non braggy her a name, even the steamboat captain and crew members refer to her as the little convent girl. As a result, the reader is led to believe that the story is not really about the little convent girl. She is merely the instrument chosen by the author through which the reader will experience a steamboat adventure. King upgrade misleads the reader by offering paragraphs of information about the complexities of navigating the river, the habits of the crew members, and the skill of the steamboat pilots. On those occasions that the reader is provided bits of information about the little convent girl, King forthwith misdirects the reader back to the overt theme of a steamboat adventure. King, in introducing the little convent girl to the reader, goes to great lengths to present her as a dreary and uninteresting creature. She wore shadower clothing, sat rigidly upright, secluded herself in her room, and displayed little zest for life. Therefor, when King uses the work blac... ...it up to each reader to draw their own conclusions and search their own feelings. At the false climax, the reader was surprised to learn that the quite, well-liked, polite, little convent girl was colored. Now the reader had to evaluate how the forces within their society might have dictated such an innocent to commit suicide. In analyzing this story, there are several other interesting facts that merit further exploration. For instance, throughout the story all references to the little convent girl use black or dark references. But, when plunging to her death, the author describes the little convent girl as a flutter of purity petticoats, a show of white stockings. What is the significance of the sudden color change? Also, Since the reader must assume that the little convent girl is Catholic, what can be concluded about a comely catholic committing suicide?