“Friend of My Youth” is constructed as a frame
narrative—a story within a story, like a set of concentric circles. The
framing story, or outer circle so to speak, concerns the relationship between the
narrator and her mother. The main story, or inner circle, is the story of Flora and
Ellie Grieves, Robert Deal, and Audrey Atkinson as recalled and told by the
narrator’s mother to the narrator. To be more accurate: the narrator recalls the
story as told to her by her mother at some point in the past, her mother at the time
recalling the story from a still earlier past.
How would you describe the narrator’s relationship with her
mother? And what does the narrator’s attitude toward the story of the Grieveses tell
us about her attitude toward her mother?
On page 19, the narrator refers to The Maiden Lady. What, exactly, is this, and what does it tell us about
the narrator’s relationship with her mother? (Focus especially on pages
19-22.)
Near the end of the story, the narrator imagines (dreams
of?) an encounter with Flora. Why is this moment important? How does it affect our
understanding of all that precedes it?
Keep in mind that my questions here, as elsewhere in these
discussions, do not have definitive answers awaiting discovery. Such questions are
meant to provoke thoughtful reflection about deeply ambiguous and even mysterious
aspects of the stories we are studying. If you are struggling, that’s normal. I’ve
read these stories many times, and still struggle! So do not be afraid to hazard an
answer or two, even if you’re not at all certain.