The narrator

Outer characterization

The narrator is the main character of the story “Pill Pusher” by Carolyn A. Drake. Her outer characterization is very brief. The narrator is most likely a woman, as this can be assumed from the fact that two of her male customers try to flirt with her (l. 21; l. 26), but it is never directly revealed. According to the comparison she makes between herself and her customer, the narrator is most likely in her late 20s (ll. 94-95).

The narrator has been through six years of training for pharmacy (l. 15) and has a degree. She currently works at a pharmacy store called Walgreens (l. 2).

Inner characterization

The narrator seems to be under a lot of pressure at her workplace. The pharmacy is very busy and she describes her current day as being “a nonstop three-hour onslaught” (ll. 9-10). The narrator is very tired, and she has to pretend to be happy and help all the customers even when she doesn’t feel like being friendly (ll. 2-3). The job she currently has does not offer her fulfillment. She feels like she has been damned to a life in retail (l. 10), despite the fact that she has a degree. The narrator is disappointed with her current situation. She considers going to pharmacy school a “$70,000 mistake” (l. 1), because in spite of her education she believes she has got nothing in return except “a lifetim...