Queen of Diamonds (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Michael Dorris
- First Published: 1987
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: 1987
- Setting: The Pacific Northwest
- Principal Characters: Ray, Christine, Elgin
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: African Americans, United States or Americans, Adolescence, Blacks, Teenagers, 1980’s, Native Americans or American Indians, Pacific Northwest
- Locales: Northwest (U.S.)
The Story
Ray, a tall, thin, fifteen-year-old, is visiting her Native American mother in the hospital. As the two play cards, Ray realizes that Christine, her mother, cheats in order to win. Ray also notices that her mother seems suddenly smaller, as though she had shrunk. The daughter thinks to herself that this hospital visit might be different, that Christine really might have a disease. Christine's changed image, however, is a result of her husband's having entered the room. Elgin, Ray's father, is an African American who has not spoken to Ray in six months.
Although...
[The entire page is 1479 words long]
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