"'I'm going out of my mind,' said Zoe to her younger sister,"
Too true, Zoe. She is perhaps the most unlikable character in any short story we have read thus far, surpassing even Dee and Bartleby. I know today in class you had said that we should try to sympathize with her, though it is extremely difficult. Her life is indeed boring. Teaching at a small libral arts school could get frustrating. However this is no excuse to treat life as one huge joke. Whether it is a possible condition (she joked during the ultrasound) or a possible boyfriend, Zoe manages to make everybody hate her with her horrible sense of humor. This may be a defense mechanism of hers, seeing as an unknown abdominal condition can be intimidating. Additionally, we know she had a failed relationship before, so maybe her attitude towards Earl is simply her way of making sure she never gets hurt again...even if that involves pushing naked-women men off of twenty-story balconies. In the end, Zoe does not change at all. Her cynical sarcasm is just as present in her last action, pushing Earl and treating it as a joke, as it was in the beginning when her class complained of her.
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