Analyse af Sheila Purdys novelle 'The Ladder'

In the text, we meet Annie who is an employee at the Virtual Processes & Systems Corporation. One morning Annie gets an important job that is a big opportunity for her to upgrade her position.

The story, The Ladder, by Sheila Purdy begins by presenting Annie who is an employee at the Virtual Processes & Systems Corporation. Annie´s duty is at the kitchen and her job is to clean the kitchen and make sure that everything is in order when the catering staff comes to visit. One day Annie gets the job to serve food and drinks during an important meeting in the boardroom. Annie knows that this particular job is a big opportunity for her to upgrade her position. Just when the meeting is about to start, Annie is told not to do the job anyway. The story ends up with Annie sitting by a tree, smoking, and reflecting about her career.

The point of view is important. It helps creating a different view of Annie´s life. The narrator has adopted Annie´s point of view and becomes her inner voice. We see that because the word “you” and “your” is often used in the text, for instance: “you feel hot, you need to go out, need to figure out what to do.” (p. 3, l. 78).