Brownies Zz Packer Analysis

A person comes to conclusions about situations based on their point of view. If an individual is in downtown Los Angeles, he/she will mention how chaotic and populated it is, but if that person is on top of the Mount Hollywood, he/she will be overlooking a gorgeous view of the city and will describe Los Angeles positively. The point of view a person has goes hand in hand with how he/she will understand an issue. In ZZ Packer’s “Brownies” the narrator is in a position that gives her a unique insight of the camping trip she and her brownie troop take. The reader is able to see the narrator’s honesty because of the personality traits she displays throughout the story. The events that occur on the trip make the narrator come to a realization that

For instance, Arnetta, who the girls follow and give their attention to, gets away with saying and doing things because she listened “to Mrs.Margolin’s religious talk and [gave] her what she wanted to hear” when she asked questions (178). Mrs.Margolin was their troop leader who saw her position “as an evangelical post” (178). Arnetta had once gotten away with killing “the troop goldfish by feeding it” a french fry and claiming to Mrs.Margolin it had snatched the fry out of her fingers (178). She had also started the “Caucasian” joke, a month before camp, which was used when someone did anything wrong. For example, jumping off the swing midair and landing on knees instead of feet was followed by a “solemn horror Caucasian” (179). The background on the joke is useful for reader to understand why the girls bursted out laughing after Arnetta had called troop 909 “Caucasian chihuahuas” (178). The narrator showing who Arnetta is with memories instead of naming her traits gives the reader first hand evidence to know her. Moreover, Daphne’s character is also discovered through flashback. She had “written a poem once” and received a prize that she took wearing a “new dress” rather than her usual wear of “faded jumpers [or] dresses” (180). This poem left the narrator puzzled because she did not understand it, so she tired befriending her but realized that “two quiet people are better off quiet alone” (180). Here, the explanation of Daphne gives the reader an understanding of her but also the narrator. The mentioning of Laurel being a quiet person and eager to understand a poem presents the point of view she has which is clearly different than the girls in her troop. The outlook the narrator has on the world is unique but it also is during the course of the