Analyse af novellen 'Growing up in the 2nd Millennium'

Everyone knows the feeling of not getting attention from the one person you need it from the most. It is a feeling that drives people to do outrageous things, to achieve this attention which is vital for our social lives. The need of this is what drives Michelle, the narrator’s sister, to steal in the short story, “Growing up in the 2nd Millennium”, written by Kate Chopin in 2001.

The story takes place in the narrator’s home, where he lives with his family. The choice of the setting is essential to the story, because it gives the readers a sense of relation with the characters in the family. Twice in the text, there are described episodes which happens in other settings such as Alison’s house or in the school. The text does not reveal a lot of details about the environment in general, and the few things that are unveiled are very superficial.

The narrator’s house is described as a characteristic house for a normal family – 2 floors, separate rooms for the children. But because of the way the father acts, the neutral setting, the house, becomes a place with a tense atmosphere.

The main theme is already revealed in the title, “Growing up in the 2nd Millennium” – but the meaning of this is not clear until the story has been read. The title refers to the way parents choose to raise their children, the many divorces, which are becoming a normal part of a marriage, and the way children act if not guided in this world. Michelle steals, because she needs attention from her parents, which as the text says: “Was the first time in months Michelle had got Dad’s full attention” (p. 10, l. 17). One of the reasons she needs attention could be because her mother comes home late, as it is seen in the quote: “Much later I heard mum come in.” and “She went in, and switched it (the light) off. ‘Fast asleep.’” This shows that the mother comes home late, only just in time to tuck her children in.