Conflict Of Perfectionism In Pancakes By Joan Bauer

Perfectionism Does perfectionism come with pros and cons, or is it just interpreted as something bad? In the short story, “ Pancakes “ by Joan Bauer, the main character Jill chooses to think the word “ perfectionist “ is offensive. She believes that she isn’t a perfectionist after repeatedly getting called one through her actions but especially at work. Jill is a control freak and her coworkers don’t seem to like how she thinks the world revolves around her. Although, Jill likes the thought that she is the controller of every situation. Bauer uses character description and multiple conflicts throughout this story to build up the suspense of Jill’s character and how people perceive her. She is able to give the reader different perspectives on Jill’s thoughts throughout her work day and the way other characters come off in Jill’s opinion. Bringing up the conflicts of perfectionism many times throughout the story and using descriptive details brings the

At the beginning of the story, Jill says “ Allen Feinman had accused me of the day he asked for his green and black lumberjack shirt back, a truly spectacular shirt that looked a lot more spectacular on me than it did on him because it brought out the intensity of my short black hair and my mysterious brown eyes (Bauer Pg.210). ” This allows the reader to get a better opinion of Jill and what she thinks about herself. The statement, “ a truly spectacular shirt that looked a lot more spectacular on me than it did on him,” creates a character description for the reader of how Jill treats others and perceives herself when she is told things she doesn’t like. Another example of character description in the story is when Jill was telling the readers about her coworker, Hugo, at the restaurant she works at. We learn throughout the story that she isn’t very fond of how he handles things. Jill