“She Wasn’t Soft”: Literary Analysis Danielle Henderson College

In “She Wasn’t Soft”, T.C. Boyle uses dynamic and static characterization in his portrayal of an unhealthy relationship. Dynamic characters are characters who change throughout a story, the dynamic character in this story being Paula, while static characters do not change, like Jason. Jason and Paula have a relationship that does not contain mutual respect or equality, and can sometimes be classified as abusive.

Jason, Paula’s boyfriend, shows his disrespect for her by constantly disregarding her wishes and requests. When she asked to not see him in the days preceding her race so she could focus and rest, Jason did not listen. He lied about it being his birthday so she would go out with him. “The thing that upset her was that he’d lied to her. ... It wasn’t his birthday at all. He’d just said that to get her out because he was drunk and he didn’t care if she had to compete the day after tomorrow and needed her rest and peace and quiet and absolutely no stimulation whatsoever. He was selfish, that was all, selfish and unthinking” (Boyle, 27.). When Paula expressed her concern about being in the same restaurant as her opponent, Zinny Bauer, Jason brushed her off. He ignored her first few requests to leave. They almost...