Silkie - Joan Character Analysis

James Burke

English 102

Professor Stepp

11 March 2015

Throughout “Silkie”, main character Joan shows two sides to herself. One side being immature, showing no sense of responsibility. The other side of Joan is more mature, and seeing the world for what it really is. The second side of Joan is more present throughout the story, which shows that her and Nathan’s life together will be a success.

One of the first signs in the story that Joan is becoming a mature woman is when she is describing the creek her and Nathan are standing by. “It surprises me all this mess. When we were little kids the river was always exciting.” She is realizing life isn’t the same as when you’re a kid and an adult. She has responsibilities now. Shortly after she foreshadows the fact that she has a child, one of her responsibilities. After describing all of what her mother does for her and how she didn’t yell at Joan for running away after “it” happened, Joan says, “That was the second biggest shock of my life: finding out how much Mama loved me after all.” The biggest shock being the pregnancy. Reality is really hitting her and she is realizing she has priorities in her life.

Later on, when Nathan asks about how Joan’s job is going she says, “I shrug my shoulders again in a way I must have picked up from someone. It isn’t a habit I like.” Joan’s coming to the realization of her prior bad habits. She is looking deeper inside herself and discovering her independent, mature self. When Joan is about to tell Nathan about how she got pregnant she says, “I don’t want no secrets between us. Mama said I had no need to tell but I’m not Mama, I’m myself.” Joan has relied on her mother her whole life for everything and taken her views, but now she is expressing her own true feelings. Also, she