Analysis

The short story “Scene from Girlhood” by Kara Lark focuses on the relationship between the two main characters. Melanie and Samantha are cousins and friends. They live in the same family house, go to school together and hang out outside of school as well.

The similarities between them are outlined from the beginning: they are in the same grade and in the same class, and they are even dressed the same: “my cousin Melanie and I wore tank tops, shorts and sandals” (ll. 2-3). In the first paragraph of the story, Melanie and Samantha are described using the pronouns “we” and “our,” which suggests they are a unit. 

After the conflict between them emerges, we learn of their completely different personalities: 

She wasn’t satisfied even with equality; she had to be better. I didn’t care, and honestly, if not for her pointing such things out, I would never have noticed our differences at all. Comparing myself to others didn’t come as naturally to me as it did to her (ll. 41-42).

This highlights that an important source of conflict between the two girls is Melanie’s competitive nature. Their relationship is unbalanced because Melanie constantly compares herself to Samantha and has to gain the upper hand. Melanie makes Samantha feel guilty about things she has no control of, such as more money and a stable family, because she has them and Melanie does not. When it comes to things Melanie can practice to get better at, she goes above and beyond to prove she is better than Samantha. 

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