Analyse af novellen 'Downsizing'

Downsizing is a short story about the frustrated and unsuccessful Shirley, who becomes unemployed after her boss confronts her with that they are reducing the number of employees on the workplace, which results in that he must fire her.

From Shirley’s point of view her life could not be any worse at this moment. Her boyfriend left her 10 month ago leaving her alone with the big responsibility of having two kids. Furthermore she gets fired, even though the other employer named Leone was hired only three month ago. Nevertheless the boss decides to fire Shirley, which leads to, that she now can’t afford the basic goods of daily life. Her personality is getting expressed in the quote when she is thinking about his boss ‘‘to hell with him, I thought. I got this job. I’ll find me another’’ it comes through that she sets limits and is known and comfortable with her personal values, when she is saying that she just can find another job, like it is so easy. So she starts thinking about a plan, and decides to go to Jenson at that little filling station on Fourth Street with the main purpose to run a tab and get a newspaper where she can check out the want ads. This shows, that she is an energetic woman who set up goals and wants to achieve them as fast as possible. But the situation develops negative by a man confronts Shirley with a gun with the purpose of stealing her money, but she is not scared at all. Actually, Shirley’s personality is so evident in the story, and develops a lot mentally. This is clearly to read, when she response the guy in the quote after discussing for a while "I spent my life being scared. Ain't going to let it take ahold of me no more’’ the quote expresses her anger of living a life based on fear and her obsession about starting a new chapter in her miserable life. She only wanted a newspaper to check out the want ads. Therefore she gets pissed of thus she starts teasing him. She says, that he does not have what it takes to shoot her, especially when it is only about fifty-three dollars. Her mental development shines though when she afterwards response the guy "You got no right coming in here and pointing that thing at me as easy as pointing your dick at a bush’’ That shows her now fearlessness in life and that she will not stand for more. Her anger and frustration leads to that she swings her handbag up from the side, and hits the armed robber on the shoulder. He gets frustrated, because it was not what he expected, so she continues to hit him and that results in that the robber steps a few steps back and spits out a few condescending words and afterwards he leaves. When she beat him, he lost his gun on the floor; hence she decides to take it back with her in the car. She chooses to drive back to Newby Street, where she pulls into the parking lot at the dinner, where the story ends. It is an open end, but can be understood, as she decides to shoot the boss perhaps because of her frustration about her life. It is getting expressed that she will shoot the boss in the quote "He's gone, Shirley," Jenson said. "Leave it be." "No. I'm tired of leaving it be." Then I slipped the gun inside my purse’’ implied that she is tired of remain passive in every situations in life, and that she now and further on will be more energetic and do something about it. So seen the story from a larger perspective, Shirley is just an unsatisfied woman, who is pissed of her living and working conditions.