Structure

Title

The title of the short story “I Dare You” by Eileen Merriman indicates that the story will revolve around a dare.

The meaning of the title is both literal and symbolic. In the literal sense, it is about the dare game that the two girls participate in. It starts with Carrie daring Jane to ask a stranger for a ride in her favourite car, a Porsche (l. 15).

The dare game is also a symbol of the rivalry between Carrie and Jane. Jane is jealous of Carrie and sees herself as plain by comparison (ll. 10-11). Jane’s resentment towards Carrie makes her want to stand out and be better than her. This is why she accepts Carrie’s dare: “Because if I said no, then I was always doomed to be a moon, a colourless moon orbiting Planet Carrie.” (ll. 19-20). At the same time, Jane wants to challenge Carrie, most likely in the hope that she will fail the dares first, so she proposes that they each do a dare, and Carrie accepts (l. 21).

In another symbolic sense, the dares represent an important ritual for the girls' transition into adulthood. Agreeing to a dare is seen as proof that they are brave and grown-up, so the girls take the dares very seriously: “Leaden. Solid. Irretrievable.” (l. 21).

At the end of the story, the phrase “I dare you” becomes a symbol of Carrie’s disappearance to Jane. After the traumatic events, she repeatedly hears William’s voice in her mind: “But when I close my eyes it’s Will’s voice I hear, worming into my brain. I dare you.” (ll. 170-171).

Beginning

The story begins by creating the setting: “That Friday, Carrie and I went to the park for the last time.” (l. 1). This contributes to a backstory about the girls’ friendship, as it implies that they spent time together at the park before. It also serves as foreshadowing for something negative, because we know that they will never meet in the park again.

As the exposit...