The Girl (short story)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Girl" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Joyce Carol Oates | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Pomegranate Press |
| Publication date | 1974 |
"The Girl" is a short story by Joyce Carol Oates originally published as a limited edition by The Pomegranate Press in 1974, and first collected in The Goddess and Other Women (1974) by Vanguard Press.[1]
Background Material
"The Girl" is told in a first-person narration by the protagonist identified only as "The Girl," as if she were only a character listed in movie credits. The story is presented in six sections recounting the making of a pornographic film, as listed below:
The Girl is introduced to the men who are making the film; she is uncertain as to the name of the director, who is known simply as The Director. He is on a short schedule, as the filmmaking equipment is borrowed and must be returned shortly. The director, "very excited" has a "vision" for his cinematic work. The 250 pound man named Robbay plays opposite The Girl as "The Motorcyclist"; the motorcycle isn't running, serving merely an inert prop. A boy plays "The Cop" (he wears a tin badge from a novelty shop). She has no idea what the true identity of these men are. They ogle her and praise her suitability for the role. The Girl's skimpy and colorful costume "came from a Miss Chelsea Shop in Van Nuys. I wasn't wearing anything else, anything underneath."[2] The film is shot in black-and-white. The production is clearly underfunded and slipshod.
The Rehearsal
The Director and his actors arrive at The Beach, an isolated stretch of California coastline and prepare the scene. Robbay is revealed as a vegetarian and a weightlifter. The Director walks The Girl through the improvised set - a row of stones. He caresses The Girl, praises her beauty and pontificates on his own artistry and his vision for a "tiny eight-minute poem."The Director repeatedly warned The Girl "not to resist" during the shooting.[3]
The Performance
The section is presented as a stream-of-consciousness in which The Girl is directed to run, faster and faster, as she is pursued by her co-stars. She becomes disoriented, "being hammered being hammered all at once...Something being pounded into flesh like meat."[4]
A Sequel
The Girl is in a hospital. A nurse is checking her pulse. The girl is traumatized. Did the police find them, the girl wants to know? Was the movie shown? Some of her hair has been torn out, her scalp bleeding. A man who she doesn't recognize tells her that the police don't care if the perpetrators are caught. He proceeds to interrogate her; she is unable to identify her assailants.
The Vision
The season is now winter, and The Girl is walking down a familiar street. She spots The Director in the distance and begins to pursue him. She stops him and demands to know if he recognizes her; he stares at her, feigning incomprehension, claiming he is from out of town. When he discerns that the girl is desperate to know if she was actually in a film, he acknowledges her with a smile: "Honey oh yeah. Yeah. Don't you ever doubt that...You know what I mean. The Vision." He affirms The Girl's self worth, "So I was saved."[5][6]