Bad Characters (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Jean Stafford
- First Published: 1954
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The early twentieth century
- Setting: Adams, Colorado
- Principal Characters: Emily Vanderpool, Lottie Jump, Jack, Stella, Tess, The Vanderpools
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Girls, Maturation or coming of age, Class conflict, Friendship, Ethics, Theft
- Locales: Adams, CO
The Story
The bad characters in this fictional autobiography are two young girls: Emily Vanderpool, the protagonist and narrator, and Lottie Jump, an eleven-year-old vagabond from the lower-class section of town. A brash, impudent, yet privileged girl, Emily has not yet learned to maintain friendships. Because she believes that she needs frequent solitude, she insults her friends until she loses their friendship. Always Emily repents of these impetuous actions, but always too late; she indeed alienates all of her friends. Even her brother and sisters are targets of Emily's...
[The entire page is 1206 words long]
