In the short story, "Three Girls" by Joyce Carol Oates, two young females, both lovers and aspiring poets, reminisce the night of their first kiss. The story is rich with romance and dream-like air, taking place in Strand Used Books in New York, where the girls encounter Marilyn Monroe in the "warehouse of treasure as through an enchanted forest". Oates emphasizes the precious feeling of young love and the girls' sexuality through romantic dialogue and incorporating the famous feminine figure, Marilyn Monroe into her story of romance.
Throughout the story, the reader senses the characters' excitement as a new couple through the fairy-tale like language Oates uses. "We were enchanted with the Strand and with each other in the Strand." Also, Oates often has the narrator openly express her feelings for her girlfriend, revealing the deeply emotional character of the unnamed girl. "In an agony of unspoken young love I watched you." To further highlight the girls' sexuality and focus on femininity, Marilyn Monroe is brought into the story, symbolizing and stressing the story's prime concern for women. Furthermore, Marilyn Monroe represents an icon of desire and sexuality, which is stressed between the two girls. Ultimately, with colorful language, the story concludes with the girls encountering their first kiss, "That magical evening of Marilyn Monroe, when I kissed you for the first time", when the reader can be absolutely sure of the girls' feelings for each other.
where can i find the short story?
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