A Simple Exchange of Niceties

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A simple exchange of niceties A simple exchange of niceties is a short story from 2007. It is written by Joanne Fedler, and it is about a girl who discovers, that she’s pregnant with a guy, that she barely knows. The girl is very sad. She doesn’t feel like she’s achieved much in her life, as she describes in line 13. She hangs around in pubs, and she feels like her life is meaningless. She is very naive. Her low self-esteem makes her think that this man, who is a complete stranger to her, could love her, because he treats her in a kind way. Unfortunately his kindness only lasts until he discovers, that she is pregnant. After that he calls her a “trashy whore” in line 65. The problem is, that that is exactly how she sees her self. When she has that awful opinion about her self, it can be hard for her to get anywhere in her life. Although she plays tough, it is probably just an attitude. She curses a lot - especially in the beginning of the story, but this girl does also have good sides. Even though she mostly focuses on her own flaws, she cares about people. She describes in line 24-27, that she really doesn’t like when people are homeless and don’t have enough to eat. She would gladly help a person in need. However when people forget their manners, she can get very angry. Maybe that’s why she snaps at the unfamiliar lady in line 75. When the woman kindly tells her, that she shouldn’t smoke, she says: “Not like it’s any of your business”. It could also just be all of her worries, that were making her so stressed. Through the whole story she is very straightforward. She describes things exactly how they are in reality, and she’s not afraid to say precisely what her opinion is. She used to be a shoplifter, and she spent three months in jail. The fact that she turned out to be, who she is, could have something to do with her relationship to her mother.
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