Narrator and point of view

The events presented in the short story “Weightless and Hysterical” by Amanda Miska are told by a first-person narrator. The narrator, a seventeen-year-old girl, is also the main character and the story is told from her point of view. Consequently, the readers have access to her private thoughts and feelings. 

Throughout the story, the narrator’s tone is often ironic towards her Christian faith and her best friend Mariel. For example, when she thinks about her boyfriend, she expresses her preference for having an orgasm instead of being a proper Christian girl: “Orgasming into oblivion sounded much more enjoyable than singing hymns and playing harps all day”. 

The narrator is also ironic towards Mariel when she tells her not to curse – “ ‘You shouldn’t curse.’ ‘And you shouldn’t fall in love with girls, but here we are’ ” – or when she comments on Jordan’s age: “ ‘Thanks, Mom’ ”.

The narrator’s tone is also analytical, as she constantly questions the Christian teachings. For example, when she thinks about sex, she considers the probability of going to hell: “Would I go to hell for just thinking that? I wondered. Probably”. The narrator is also curious when she questions the concept of sin ...