Analysis

In this section, we will introduce you to the main elements we will focus on when analyzing “Me and Mr. Harry” by Batya Swift Yasgur.

The story’s plot does not follow a traditional plot structure, having only an exposition, rising action, and climax. The falling action and the resolution are missing. We will focus on the characterization of the young girl, her parents, and we will also briefly focus on Mr. Harry.

We do not know the exact time setting of the story, but we do know it takes place in different places such as Mr. Harry's house and the school. Most importantly, the social setting explores several issues, including sexual abuse/pedophilia and child neglect/parental failure.

As a first-person narrator, the young girl's perspective is limited to what she experiences. There are also several instances in which the language is dominated by the child’s innocence, such as when the girl does not know what an “expert” is or how to spell “mortgage”.

You can find the entire analysis in the following pages of the study guide.