Bethany
Outer characterization
Bethany is the main character and narrator of the short story “The Skirt” by Zoe Lambert. She is a former comedian who had to quit her career and move back in with her mother and brother after waking up paralyzed one morning. We know she performed once at a comedy festival (l. 48), so she must have been quite talented. References to her books (l. 62) show that she probably liked to read. Since her physical disability plays such an important role in the story, the author repeatedly emphasizes how her body functions, or rather, fails to function properly.
Bethany does not offer a lot of physical details about herself. At one point, she describes her hair as “straggly, with split ends” (l. 76), which could hint that her condition has caused her to neglect her appearance. She also mentions that she looks older (l. 76), especially wearing the skirt her mother has chosen for her.
We also have some hints at her background. Her economic situation appears to be rather poor, since, before her paralysis, she was living with several housemates in a poorly maintained building where the boiler would break down and there were patches of mould on the wall (l. 38).
