Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “A Girl’s Story” will not provide the reader with an uplifting experience. This short story obtains post modernism aspects. The reader is able to experience Rae Ann maturing and physically developing as a young woman. Family member’s characteristics contribute to Rae Ann’s experience in and outside of the home. Rae Ann definitely seems alone during most of the plot. Throughout the story Rae Ann develops personal concerns with her body, heritage, and purpose in society.

     The third person limited-omniscient narrator allows the reader to experience Rae Ann’s panic first hand when she begins her menstruation. The reader witnesses her elevating her hips and hiding all of her stained clothes. The narrator shares Rae Ann’s plans with the reader which include washing away her tracks, sneaking extra toilet paper, and utilizing ice cubes. If the reader was receiving the perspective of the grandmother then the story would be completely different. The reader may or may not even be able to conclude that Rae Ann was menstruating because M’Dear in the story is so quick to jump to conclusions. The reader would be unaware of the pain or fear unless Rae Ann chose to confide to her grandmother.

     The organization of the short story is affective in moving the reader. The reader is introduced to Rae Ann’s character elevating her hips up against the wall to imitate a nosebleed scenario. There is a bit of comedic and sympathetic feeling toward Rae Ann. The reader is given some clues that Rae Ann is becoming a woman. She mentions beginning intermediate in the fall and liking a boy. The complication of the story is that no one has informed Rae Ann about menstruation and how to handle it. She has no mother and her grandmother is distant. This unfortunate lack of information leads Rae Ann to believe that she is being punished or dying. She is conflicted with herself because she does not think she can shower, sleep, or run for help without harming herself. The climax of the story is when Horace, Rae Ann’s brother, almost barges in on her mid-bathroom session. He tells M’Dear that something fishy is going on in the bathroom. M’Dear questions Rae Ann continuously until Rae Ann admits to bleeding. The grandmother becomes extremely angry and assumes that Rae Ann has attempted to receive an illegal abortion from the barber shop. The reader becomes aware that a similar scenario is responsible for leaving Rae Ann motherless. It takes a couple moments but the grandmother comes to her senses. She leads Rae Ann into the bedroom and returns with a package that will aid Rae Ann through menstruation. The story ends with Rae left to resolve her own issues.

    This short story is on the shorter side but the bold characters move the plot along. Horace comes across as a tough guy. He is known to cuss and fight. The only time the reader experiences a softer side of Horace is when he discovers Rae Ann in the bathroom. It is only for a second; however, Rae Ann notices a switch in his tone. Horace quickly resumes to his crude, flat character. M’Dear is the opposite of what someone would recognize as a grandmother. She has no sense of nurture and is distant towards the grandchildren. She only lectures Rae Ann to keep away from boys most likely to ensure she does not end up like her deceased mother. When she realizes that Rae Ann has begun to menstruate she is not even capable of a simple hug. The narrator explains her attempt at an awkward embrace. Dada Bibi is the foil character to M’Dear. Dada Bibi works at the local center and is warm and welcoming to whatever company comes her way. She embraces her heritage and wears turbans and wraps. She does not judge anyone and respects everyone. She will hug whoever she can get her hands on. She does not lecture the children and instead just makes herself available if they wish to speak. Rae Ann is the main character of this story. The reader has insight to her perspective and is able to learn a great deal about her traits. During the story Rae Ann’s emotions are up and down as she tries to cover up her developing body. She is on edge and fearful as to what is going to happen to her. She is lonely and enjoys going to center.

     The setting is important to the story. Horace is receiving criticism for not enrolling to fight in the Vietnam War. The narrator mentions figures such as Malcolm X and the freedom fighters. The two physical settings of the story are the center and M’Dear’s home. The narrator never fully explains the center’s title. The reader does learn about some of the activities that take place at the center. Dada Bibi teaches the girls about African Queens and their heritage. The center sends home fliers, letters, and posters promoting their cause. An educated guess would be that the center is a location for activists who want to teach the youth about heritage and pride. M’Dear’s home probably reflects her attitude. Rae Ann is nervous about the missing towels and footprints on the wall. This is a clue that M’Dear’s house is very clean and uninviting.

     There seems to be two main points to this story. Rae Ann is growing up physically and mentally. Her period is a big step in her life that some may argue welcomes her into womanhood. Rae Ann also is maturing mentally and different people begin to have different influences on her life. At the center Dada Bibi boasts about strong African female queens and heritage while M’Dear argues that she is American not African. Rae Ann has difficulty choosing which identity to claim. Dada Bibi, M’Dear, and her teacher all relay different messages. Pride also tears Rae Ann in two different directions. She feels that being both proud and American is not possible(535). Historical figures such as Harriet Tubman give her a sense of pride; however, when she hears of Americans committing violence she is not so sure. In a film that Rae Ann once watched she heard someone announce “To die for the people.” She is disturbed by this message and suggests that it would be better to live for the people. Dada Bibi agrees that this is a good idea. When Rae Ann is convinced that she is dying she is scared and angry. She makes a promise in her mind to do something good if she survives. Her promise leaves her confused (537). This example just reinforces that she is unaware with her purpose and struggling with what her fate should be.

     In combining these two main ideas a possible theme for this story could be that a growing child has to overcome body development, family issues, and societal pressures while trying to discover an individual identity. This is difficult for Rae Ann because she lacks a mother figure. Most girls are aware of what their menstruation cycle is before it occurs. The lack of knowledge provides another challenge for Rae Ann. The closest woman to a mother figure seems to be Dada Bibi. Rae Ann seems to learn the most from her. While Rae Ann is contemplating what to do about her period, she mentions consulting Dada Bibi before M’Dear.

     There are few symbols in this story. I may even be stretching that these images are symbols or sources of imagery. I felt like the towels symbolized Rae Ann’s fear of M’Dear. She knew that M’Dear would catch onto the missing towels and she would get in trouble. The map of Africa that hung in her room represented her so-called heritage. Dada Bibi and Rae Ann made the map together at the center. Dada Bibi’s brother also taught Rae Ann the Guinea-Bissau marching song. Dada Bibi also makes the girls wraps to dance in.

     A passage in the story that I felt was important was when Rae Ann assigns death a smell (533). The smell of her blood reminds her of her own mother’s sick room. This explains her own reasoning for assuming she is deathly ill. The smell makes her sick to her stomach. It is ironic that the grandmother also connects Rae Ann’s bleeding to her deceased mothers. She jumps to conclusions before even considering the obvious explanation.

     I thoroughly enjoyed Toni Cade Bambara’s short story. I feel that it is a definite success and contains plenty critical elements of a short story. The only element I would have liked to see in the story would have been direct interaction between Dada Bibi and M’Dear.

Bambara, Toni C. “”A Girl’s Story.” American Short Stories. 8th ed. New York: Pearson Education Inc, 2008. 530-39.