Themes and message

The main themes of the short story “How the Nurse Feels” by Greg Changnon are growing up through loss, and fiction versus reality. The author’s intention is to show fiction has its limitations; that some experiences presented by fiction can only be understood if lived, and that growing up is not only a result of positive experiences.

Growing up through loss

The theme of growing up is explored through the main character, Tess. The girl is a teenager who cannot wait to leave her hometown, move to a big city, and become independent. Although she is aware that adulthood brings challenges with finances or love issues (ll. 99-101), she idealizes adult life and does not seem to grasp its full implications.

...

Fiction versus reality

“How the Nurse Feels” also explores the theme of fiction versus reality. In the story, the staging of a Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet overlaps with personal events in the lives of the acting students.

The focus is on the way the protagonist, the teenager Tess, relates to her role as the nurse and the disappearance of one of her friends, Tiger.

Initially, Tess cannot connect with the fictional character of the nurse.

...