Does appearance make up who you are? The short story “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus tells us a story about a girl named Louise, who struggles to fit into society's standards of the ideal image of a female body. Throughout the story, Dubus displays the mental and physical challenges Louise has to face. In our modern society, being pretty is essential to survive. Having such privileges mirrors who you are and your personality. A toxic environment can lead to one being unaware of the dangers that societal pressure presents, eventually this would drain the individual, causing them to be dictated to by others. One must defeat society's expectations and claim their worth. In the short story “The Fat Girl” By Andre Dubus, Louise shows the harmful influences that contribute to a lack of self-preservation. This leads one to lose their power, and it is ultimately up to the individual to reclaim themselves. When one loses their voice to stand their ground they're easily influenced by their surroundings. Depending on the environment an individual is in, they will mentally absorb their community …show more content…
Due to this environment we wouldn't see Louise speaking up for herself because her mother is always right. Louise moves to college and meets a girl named Carrie, they share a dorm together and this is the start of Carrie controlling Louise's habits that Carrie claims to be out of love; “I want you to be loved the way I love you. Louise, If I help you, really help you, will you go on a diet?”(163) After this Carrie gained total control of