Laura

The most important character in Beejay Silcox's “Slut Trouble” is the teenage girl Laura, who is also the narrator. Laura lives in Australia, with her mother. Her father passed away sometime before the events in the story take place (l. 50). She lives next door to her best friend, Megan. (l. 95). Since the legal drinking age in Australia has been 18 for several decades, and Mr Henderson makes Laura promise not to tell anyone about the red wine he offers her (ll. 18-19), we can assume that Laura is under 18 years old.

Laura’s outer characterisation focuses primarily on her hair, which she sees as being plain: “boring (…) straight and house-mouse brown. It won’t hold a curl or a crimp for longer than an hour, and neither of us has been allowed to dye it” (ll. 11-12). Laura’s hair is similar to her friend Megan’s, which is why the girls are often mistaken for sisters (ll. 7-8). Later in the story, Laura dresses like Julie-Anne in cut-off denim shorts (l. 32) and a men’s flannel shirt (ll. 63-64). During her game with Megan, she wears one of Lisa Henderson’s old dresses (ll. 113-114). The entire story is full of examples of Laura and Megan trying to be someone else and more extraordinary.

Laura’s inner characterisation is constructed through her language, her thoughts, and her actions. From the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Laura’s competitive side: “Megan and I are having a competition to see whose will be the longest by the end of the year.” (ll. 13-14) However, we get the sense that Laura is more passive than Megan in their relationship. For example, Laura lets Megan decide which hairstyle she and Megan wear every day (ll. 9-10) and accepts Megan’s insults without protesting: “ ‘Are you really that fucking dumb?’ ‘I guess not.’ ” (ll. 72-73)

Laura also seems to fear Megan’s reactions: “ ‘I’ve caught up!’ I say, and it is true, mine is longest. I realise too late how stupid I have been to say it” (l. 67). And yet, she seems to look up to Megan: “ ‘It’s not a photo, it’s a headshot dumb-ass,’ Megan says. She knows about these kinds of things” (l. 86). Moreover, she tries to impress Megan: “ ‘I’d fuck him,’ I say, but Megan pretends not to notice” (l. 101).

These details suggest that Laura might feel inferior to or psychologically overpowered by Megan, which makes her adopt a non-confrontational attitude: “I am Kimberly Watson. I am not allowed to be Julie-Anne. There is no point in arguing.” (ll. 111-112). It is also possible that Laura believes that Megan’s behaviour to be normal in friendships, which makes her vulnerable to Megan’s bullying.

Laura is also less confident than Megan – for example, she explains that she does not yet have the courage to swear out loud, but that she practices at night (ll. 37-39). This also suggests her desire to be more mature; at the same time, it hints at her naivety, as she associates swearing with maturity. Laura’s innocence and lack of experience is also suggested, for e...