Themes

In this section, we will take a look at the themes that surface in this short story.…

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Social Status

In the short story, a concurrent theme is that of social status. Wanting to know Marie better, Rachel is thrown into a completely different world:

Rachel discovers the fact that beyond the village, obscurity lies and with it, violence, savagery and a striking sense of exposure to danger:

“Rachel was relieved to no longer have the weight of Marie on her bike, but nervous about being so far out of the village. It only occurred to her now that nobody knew where she was.” (ll. 66-68…

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Coming of age

Another theme evident in this story is coming of age. Although Rachel's transition from childhood to adulthood does not seem to take place entirely during this frightening episode, she indeed leaves Marie's home with a new sense of awareness:

She hurriedly backs out of the chicken coop as she gets a glimpse into this very different and harsh way of living, where children are neglected an…