Not a Good Girl by Perri Klass
"Not a Good Girl" by Perri Klass is a narrative exploring the complexities of a brief romantic encounter between the narrator, an academic visiting Harvard University, and a graduate student named Eric. The story begins with the narrator's arrival for two seminars in immunology, after which she accepts Eric's invitation to spend the night together. Their interaction blends themes of intimacy and emotional distance, as the narrator grapples with her expectations for casual encounters versus deeper connections.
As they navigate their time together, moments of affection are juxtaposed with the narrator's reflections on Eric's desire to embody a caring, sensitive persona, which contrasts with her own intentions for the relationship. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of vibrant Boston, including a visit to the Public Gardens and a poignant phone call from the narrator's friend, which adds depth to her character and the dynamic between the two. Ultimately, the narrator contemplates the implications of their brief affair, recognizing the limits of their connection while also appreciating the new perspectives it brings to her life. This exploration raises questions about the nature of relationships, expectations, and the lessons learned from fleeting encounters.
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Not a Good Girl by Perri Klass
First published: 1983
Type of plot: Realism
Time of work: Around 1980
Locale: Boston
Principal Characters:
The narrator , a young, unnamed woman biochemistEric , a graduate student with whom she has a two-day fling
The Story
The narrator comes to Harvard University from New York City to present two academic seminars in immunology. After her first presentation, she is taken to an Italian restaurant by young faculty members and graduate students. When she leaves, a graduate student named Eric gives her a ride, puts his hand on her knee, and asks her if she wants his company for the night. Stirred by his hand on her leg and his sweet and disarming manner, she accepts the proposal and takes him to her hotel room. Although she neither expects nor wants any real romance, his direct style disappoints her a little. However, after he turns the light off and they make love on the moonlit bed, she concedes that he excels at the enterprise.
Afterward, as they make small talk, the narrator realizes that Eric wants her to see him as a caring, sensitive person—what he believes to be the feminist ideal in men. Her realization that they are jumping so far ahead in their relationship, skipping the customary "first-night trappings," irritates her, but she decides that casual encounters do not warrant much scrutiny. As Eric drives her to the Harvard campus the next morning, they seize on the beautiful day to saunter around the Boston Public Gardens. When they behave a bit passionately in public, three young boys urge them on and the flustered Eric chases them off. His overreaction annoys the narrator, who again senses they are becoming more deeply involved with each other than she wishes.
The narrator's second seminar goes so well—partly because she enjoys playing up to Eric in the audience—that she takes him back to her hotel a second night. They repeat their success in bed, but at 2:30 a.m. her friend Eleanora calls from New York. Left in charge of feeding the narrator's cat, Eleanora has accidentally broken a big blue platter in the narrator's apartment. Maudlin with drink and guilt, Eleanora runs on and on with her apologies. However, after she learns that the narrator is not alone, she giggles and hangs up, feeling much better about the broken platter. The narrator explains Eleanora's phone call to Eric, adding that her cat is named Carmen. She cannot help pondering whether Eric thinks Carmen a ridiculous name, but this banal pillow talk dissolves into more sexual activity, and cats and platters fade into the background of their consciousness.
This brief insight into the narrator's private life alters Eric's perception of her, encouraging him to confide to her that he worries about writing his dissertation. She answers with hackneyed reassurances, concealing her private doubts. This conversation all takes place in his car on the way to the airport, and it concludes with his question, "If we lived near each other, would you have an affair with me?" She hesitates before agreeing that they should give it a try, and is saved further embarrassment by their arrival at the airport. She jumps out of his car with a quick kiss, a good-bye, and a clear sense of relief.
As the narrator flies back to New York, she meditates on her experience, wondering what her two-night stand can teach her. Reflecting on the none-too-pleasant implications that she sensed in her brief relationship with Eric, she decides that Eric had been prepared for complications that would have entangled her too deeply with him. She giggles at the realization that Eric had been leading up to an experiment, something long-running with experimental observation and careful data keeping, but that she had kept the brief affair at the seminar level. She knows that short seminars do not develop major lessons but that they can offer new ideas that shake up one's mind and start one thinking along new lines.