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Hate List Analysis

Decent Essays

In Hate List, Jessica’s feelings of lack of control over her social life are masked by her confident public persona. What Jessica desires is to be in control and she sees an opportunity to achieve this within the popular group of Garvin High School. Jessica earns her position within her clique by being demanding. She scrutinizes students at school, and her dominant demeanor gives her control over the behaviour of her peers. Although Jessica plays her part exceptionally well, Valerie is able to see through the facade. During a conversation between Jessica and Val, Val gets a glimpse into Jessica’s private persona saying, “The confidence was gone, the superiority was missing - all replaced by this weird vulnerability that didn’t look right on her,” (Brown 215). When Jessica’s public persona is stripped away, she is vulnerable. What Jessica desires is control, and without it she feels just as insignificant as those she picks on. By developing a public persona of a confident teenager, Jessica hides her own insecurities, and controls the lives of people around her. Both Alex and Jessica desire a sense of control in their lives, so they create a confident, outspoken public persona that allows them to achieve their desire. Without their public persona, both Alex and Jessica are just as vulnerable as those they appear to have control over. By using her judicial persona at home as well as at work, Alex is able to gain a false sense of control over Josie which should satisfy her

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