Service and Self Discovery

    It is a very human thing to repress and ignore desires of the heart that we deem “wrong” or “dissonant”. Oftentimes, we are not even cognizant of said desires and they hide away in our unconscious minds- until something pulls them out. This phenomenon was exemplified in the short story “Three Girls” by Joyce Carol Oates. One of the story’s most important facets was its two parallel storylines that converged and influenced one-another as the story drew to its conclusion. Two girls, the narrator and her friend (for now, no spoilers), saw Marilyn Monroe at the Strand, a bookstore in NYC. Upon realizing that it was Marilyn Monroe undercover, they made it their mission to do everything they could to protect her anonymity. They realized that Marilyn Monroe wanted more than anything to have the chance of abandoning her idolized persona and just live as herself. This conflict Marilyn Monroe was experiencing was the first of the aforementioned two. They tailed her throughout the store without arousing suspicion and ended up paying for her books so she did not have to and risk exposing herself. Throughout this process, the girls resolved their own conflict as well. They considered themselves friends, but in reality they had romantic feelings for each other. Due to societal norms and expectations however, they put those feelings on the back-burners of their minds. In helping Monroe, they relinquished all preexisting beliefs and solely dedicated themselves to sharing that experience with each other. At the very end of the story, Monroe thanks the girls with a book. In their glee, they share a kiss. The kiss was the final line of the story: a powerful conclusion. In helping Monroe, the two girls let their own walls down and ended up helping themselves as well. This act of servitude to a person in need brought upon the resolution to their own conflict, which sends a powerful message to the reader. Sometimes, the best way to solve your own problems is by helping someone with theirs.