I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen "Good Girl" af Marita Conlon-McKenna, som findes i antologien Contexts, s. 68-75. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering.
Marita Conlon-McKenna er født i Dublin, i Irland. Hun skriver både romaner og noveller og har både skrevet til børn og voksne. Nogle af hendes værker er blandt andet inspireret af hendes katolske opvækst og de religiøse konflikter i Irland.
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The title of the short story “Good Girl” by Marita Conlon-McKenna illustrates the change in the main character. The girls who attack Chrissy use the term "good girl" to mean a good Catholic (p. 72, ll. 20-21), putting the community above individual preferences. When the girls who attack her try to lecture her on that, at first, Chrissy merely echoes the conviction: “ ‘I am a good girl’, she whispered softly. ‘Ian and I are just good friends’” (p. 72, ll. 25-26).
Additionally, it is ironic that Eilish and the rest of the gang want to make Chrissy a “good girl” by punishing her and even torturing her. This suggests their twisted view of the world, because this is far from what a “good girl” is generally understood to be. It also suggests that, for them, being a good girl means to protect their community.
However, at the end, Chrissy comes to accept the girls’ meaning of the phrase, as she distances herself from Ian. At the end, Crissy calls Gemma a ‘good girl’ after Gemma calls Ian an offensive word for a Protestant (p. 75, l. 20) when he returned Chrissy’s letter unread. Chrissy’s last words may not refer only to Gemma, but also to herself, and her internal resolve that from now on she will not mingle outside her community. Also, as Gemma wants to be just like Chrissy (p. 68-69, ll. 15-7), the connection between the two sisters as 'good girls' is further emphasized. It also suggests how prejudice is passed on among members of the same family and community.
