It's safe to say home's not Deanna's favorite place in Story of a Girl. Her dad's barely spoken to her since the Tommy incident, her mom's a false-happiness machine, and her brother's raising her niece in the basement with the girl he knocked up. Add in the green shag carpet, pink kitchen, and stains on the ceiling, and it's easy to see how things could look pretty bleak.
But Deanna dreams of a different home, one in which she, Darren, Stacy, and April will live happily by themselves. In a happy home, they don't fight; instead, they all go out for burritos before Darren and Stacy go to work and Deanna goes to school. In other words, they actually have fun—something her current home life severely lacks.
Questions About The Home
- Does Deanna really believe that once she, Darren, and Stacy move out, they won't have any problems anymore? What about the same poverty they currently face, but with rent on top?
- Why does Deanna hate the worn carpet in her house but love the worn carpet in Jason's house?
- Why doesn't Deanna focus on getting good grades and college scholarships as a way of getting out of her hometown?
- Deanna's in denial about a lot of aspects of her life. Is denial the only way she can deal with living in her home and in Pacifica?
Chew on This
Deanna loves Jason largely because their home lives are so similar. That's one way in which he's the only person who really gets her.
Deanna wants to run from her problems, but hints in her stories that she knows you can never outrun your memories.