Siti muthoharoh
10320001/ f class
English
poetry/March, 18th 2012
The Standard of Living by Dorothy Parker
Title: The
standard of living
Author: Dorothy Parker
Main character:
Annabel: a girl who work in the office as a
stenographer. She have a high
Midge: a best friends of Annabel who
in the same office as a stenographer.
Minor character:
Sylvia: another girl who work in the
same office of Annabel and midge
Clerk: a waiter of shop who
Rising action:
Annabel invented the game and
rewarded the game about many million dollars.
Climax:
Annabel had dream if she have had
million dollars she would buy a silver fox coat, but did not agree with this
plan. Both are have different future if they really got million dollars.
Falling action
Annabel changed her mind to buy a
mink coat and delay to buy silver fox coat.
Resolution
Midge saw a string of pearls and she
went get it, but it was very expensive and she goes away.
Plot summary:
This story tells that there are two girls who are arrogant and have a high desire and
a high dream to get some things that do not appropriate with their live like a
rich man. Their names
are Annabel and Midge; they
like to eat the same kind of foods and sandwiches. They look like twins. This story wrote to show
the way of living of these two friends. They like to eat sandwiches full of
sugar, chocolate, butter, and sometimes they like to eat patties. These two
girls work in the same office as a stenographer. They are alike in shape for their live in standard living,
but they are different in feature. They have fat bellies, and lean flanks.
Their movement style
are same. Both of them live with
their family and they have the same hope. Annabel wants to change the way of the live, she would have different manner than
others. Once day
Annabel found a new game, she
asked a question to Sylvia, a
girl who working in the same office: “What you would do if you had a
million dollars?” Sylvia
answered “I like to order
someone to hire a person to shoot Mrs. Cary Cooper”. The two girls laughed at her and
Sylvia lost the game for they like to use these million dollars for good
purposes. Now Midge
asked Annabel the same question
and Annabel answered that she would like to buy a silver- fox coat.
Midge did not trust her answer
and told that her desire is not common. These two girls became different
in their dream and for a while they did not speak with each other. That the two
girls are friends for they have no dreams, no money, and no change in the
standard of living. Some days
in evening when they took walk and
passing a shop, they see a string of pearls. They entered the shop and asked the cost. Hearing
that it costs two hundred fifty dollar, they move away and began to dream again. They dream of more
money to buy more valuable thing that is not common. Midge asked Annabel that
supposes the owner of the string of pearls dies and likes to leave ten million
dollars, because a high dream the two girls will not be satisfied in
their lifet andwill not
be friends again.
Point of view
The author used third person point of
view that is know about all in the story.
Setting
The story has setting in many places,
in the first of story Annabel and midge came out of the tea room in
Saturday afternoon. They also make conversation in their office of company,
when Annabel gave question about million dollars to Sylvia. They also were
walking on fifth avenue shop in their free afternoon to buy
silver fox coat.
Basic conflict in the story
I think it is person VS themselves,
because actually there is no conflict from the other persons but they made
themselves in difficult live.
Theme
Why the author used the standard of
living in this story, because can make some strong statements about the
values of today’s society.
Like was described on the two girls in the story.
Responds
In my opinion this story is open,
because there was show a new game in the end of the story without continuing or
solution. And it can continue to be a wide story.