Literature Analytic Entry

The short story written by Nancy Garden, Parent's Night, demonstrates the various themes of loneliness, fear, love, and acceptance. The main character, Karen, symbolizes a confused teenager, struggling to find a way to tell her family that she is gay. At the beginning of the story, she finds herself confused on whether or not she likes girls, where she ultimately finds out that she does when she meets Roxy, her girlfriend. Karen then falls in love with Roxy, but is anxious to "come out" to her parents. The reason of why she's anxious is because she doesn't know whether her parents will accept the fact that she is gay, or if they will be angry with her. That anxiety that Karen feels constantly follows her throughout the story and creates fear within her. When she finally tells her family that she's gay, they are at first upset and angry with her. That causes Karen to feel distant from her family and a little bit lonely because her own family didn't accept the fact that she was a lesbian. But later in the story as her parents talk, they finally try to be accepting of their daughter and eventually go to Parent's Night at Karen's school. There was a time, however, where Karen doubts that her family will eventually accept that part of what makes her who she is. And not only is it difficult for Karen, but also for her parents who have difficulty accepting that their daughter is a lesbian, which is something that many teenagers experience. This story is the epitome of what many teenagers struggle with when trying to publicly "come out," whether it be to their family or friends. They find themselves in fear of rejection and in fear that they won't be accepted by their family or friends, which is what many gays and lesbians experience. This story also added to the definition of the theme of gays and lesbians because it portrayed a more personal and emotional sense of the topic. Instead of just stating facts or giving a timeline of gay and lesbian history, the story describes an experience involving the topic and how it related on a more personal level. And within the story, there are various themes that revolve around the topic itself. For example, the theme of acceptance. Clearly there are still people in today's society who don't accept the lifestyle of being gay or lesbian because there are laws against it. Same-sex marriage, for example, is not legal in every state in the United States because many still don't accept it. Sometimes the topic is not always accepted, but when it is, it only takes a matter of time for people to understand.