STANDARD OF LIVING by Dorothy Parker

ANALYZING SHORT STORY

CHARACTER:

Major characters in this story are Annabel and Midge. They are best friends. They live in the same milieu and work in the same office as stenographer. They are so greedy, but they are not rich. Their skin is like the petals of wood anemones, and their bellies are as flat and their flanks as lean as those of young Indian braves.

Minor character is Silvya who is Annabel and Midge’s officemate, the doorman, the clerk, and the girls in the shop.

SETTING:

This story happened in some places. They are in the tea room, in the office of Steno department, on Fifth Avenue, and in the pearl shop. It happened on Saturday evening. The situation in this story is so tightness because there are so many debates between Annabel and Midge, hot and glaring, with slivers of dust in the wind.

PLOT:

Introduction: This story of STANDARD OF LIVING by Dorothy Parker tells about two girls who are best friends, their names are Annabel and Midge. They are same in shape. Both of them live with their family and they have the same hope. The two girls work in the same office in America as the stenographer.

Rising action: One day, Annabel plays a game. The game is invented or evolved from an old one. It contains of question that has to be answered by her friends. If they have million dollars what would they do with their money.

Climax: The climax is started when Annabel answered the question that she would buy a coat of mink, but Midge has different will. If she had much money, she would buy a string of pearls. This different idea causes debate between them.

Falling Action: Annabel and Midge walked along Fifth Avenue and decided to enter the pearl shop there. They asked about the price of the pearl and it was two hundred fifty dollars. After knowing the price of the pearl that is so expensive, they went out from the shop.

CONCLUSION:

From the story STANDARD OF LIVING by Dorothy Parker, we can know that the two girls were so greedy because they are not satisfied with what they have. Their life is not sufficient. We can know from the question, that what would be the first thing you would do if you have much money. In the end of the story, they are not be friends again.

POINT OF VIEW:

Point of view of this story is omniscient, the author knows all about the two girls, either the character, the act, or the habitual. The author describes that the two girls have many similarities, even have same hope. We can see at the paragraph below:

“They looked alike, though the resemblance did not lie in their features. It was in the shape of their bodies, their movements, their style, and their adornments. Annabel and Midge did, and completely, all that young office workers are besought not to do. They painted their lips and their nails, they darkened their lashes and lightened their hair, and scent seemed to shimmer from them. They wore thin, bright dresses, tight over their breasts and high on their legs, and tilted slippers, fancifully strapped. They looked conspicuous and cheap and charming.”

MORAL VALUE: The moral value that can be taken is we should not be a greedy person, we should thank with what we have.

SUMMARY:

This story tells about two girls that have many similarities, they are Annabel and Midge. They work in same office as stenographer. Annabel makes a game. The game is a question that what first thing you would do if you have million dollar. Annabel and Midge have different answer, so there is debate between them. Annabel wants to buy coat of mink and Midge wants to buy shrink of pearl. When they walked in Fifth Avenue, they decided to enter pearl shop. They want to know the price of the pearl. Hearing that it costs two hundred fifty dollars they move away and began to dream again. They wanted to dream of more money to buy more valuable thing that is not common.