Narrator and point of view

“Popular Girls” by Karen Shepard is a first-person narration. The narrator assumes the group identity and uses the first-person plural to convey the group’s point of view: “We see everyone who walks past us, in and out of our 200-year-old originally Episcopalian school.” (ll. 17-18)

Using a first-person plural narrator helps the author suggest the idea of group identity, and how for teenagers being part of the right friendship group is very important and one of the key ways in which teenagers begin to form their own adult identity. The tone of voice of the narration strikes a balance between self-importance and irony, suggesting subtle criticism of the group’s mentality and actions.

The narrator also uses direct address which suggests the intended receivers of the narratio...