Character Analysis Of Dorothy Parker's 'But The One On The Right'

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In Dorothy Parker’s short story, “But the One on the Right”, the main character is a woman named Mrs. Parker. She feels terribly disappointed for coming to the dinner because of the one on her left who is her partner at the dinner. Because of the disappointment, she always has her eye on her right, which catches her attention more than the one on her left. Throughout the short story, there are several examples to show Mrs. Parker’s disappointment and disinterest towards the one on her left and her interest towards the one on her right through different tones while she is talking to herself about both of them. Mrs. Parker’s disappointment can be seen early in the first paragraph: I knew it. I knew if I came to this dinner, I'd draw something…show more content…
It is marked by the use of perfect modal verb “should never have” that states an action that should not be done, but it has already been done intentionally or not. Other sentences to show her regret are “I should have stayed at home for dinner. I could have had something on a tray. The head of John the Baptist, or something. Oh, I should not have come.” Another use of perfect modal verb is applied in the sentence “I could have had something on a tray”. The perfect modal verb “could have” states an action could happen in the past, but it did not happen. In Mrs. Parker’s case, instead of coming to the dinner, she prefers to stay at home and eats John the Baptist’s head but she is already there having dinner with the one on her left, which is somewhat tedious, and again, she says “Oh, I should not have come” whose tone is showing her intense…show more content…
No, not a chance there. The woman on his other side has him cold. All I can see is his shoulder. It's a nice shoulder, too; oh, it's a nice, nice shoulder. All my life, I've been a fool for a nice shoulder. Very well, lady; you saw him first. Keep your Greek god, and I'll go back to my Trojan horse. Mrs. Parker talks to herself about the man on her right with praising tone “All I can see is his shoulder. It's a nice shoulder, too; oh, it's a nice, nice shoulder.” She praises how nice that man’s shoulder is. The tone quickly changes right after that to be rather disappointing when she compares him with the one on her left “Keep your Greek god, and I'll go back to my Trojan horse”. Humiliating and sarcastic tones can be seen when Mrs. Parker differs from the man on her left. He asks her whether she is fond of potatoes or not, and she answers no, and triumphantly she humiliates him: I’m on a higher plane. I do not stoop. He’s less than the dust beneath my chariot wheel. Yah, yah, ya-ah! Less than the du-ust! Before I’d be that way. Yah, yah,

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