Analyse af Amina Henrys novelle 'Waiting for Her'

"Marooned" is my word. I taste it on the tip of my tongue. It's a good word. It fits.

The short story “Waiting for Her” by Amina Henry is built upon the word “marooned” and explores themes such as broken families and the impact parents have on their children. The meaning of “marooned” is conveyed through the main character, Victory, feeling trapped and isolated. The repetition of the word enhances the motif of Victory’s feelings and describes how abandonment has affected her upgrowing.

There are several physical settings in the story. For one there's Victory’s room which is in her grandmother's house, where she lives. In the story, it’s also mentioned that Victory often spends time at Tommy’s house. An example could be, that they sit on the porch and observe everyday life while playing their word-game. It doesn’t seem to be a very healthy environment for a child to grow up in. First of all, it is mentioned in the story that the ceiling of Victory’s room is stained, which could suggest that they don’t have a lot of money, in other words, they live a rather modest life. But every family can lack money. What’s actually concerning, is the fact that Victory and Tommy can get their hands on weed very easily. Furthermore, that they establish new vocabulary such as tipsy and butter, which in reality are words they should already know, through television or cereal boxes.