My analysis of the text “Karen” is limited by my intuitions that I have felt while reading the text. Those intuitions have given rise to my interpretation of the story that I will also give in my analysis. I will focus not only on an intuitive or impressionistic account of the text, but will also try to conduct a linguistic analysis that is actually the central core of my research.

The text offers a description of a lonely girl’s meditation on other people’s attitude towards her that alternate with the descriptions of her empty house. The emptiness of the house symbolizes Karen’s loneliness and uselessness, and this symbol helps the author to transmit his message that people are often deaf and blind towards others including their own children that enter the world of adults in complete loneliness. They stumble over life obstacles in this complete darkness.

The author conveys this message using a number a number of linguistic devices.

The composition of the text is rather elaborate. The first paragraph is orientation where the major characters – Karen and her parents are introduced and the setting is established. The house was empty and she was alone.

The complication develops through Karen’s meditation on the rift between the world and her, and it develops into a dramatic climax – there is nothing for her to do but to get drunk. She calls it adult’s behaviour, because that is how she sees adults now. An adult would head straight for the drinks cabinet.

From the very first paragraphs the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere is imposed on the reader. It is brought about by a masterful use of short simple sentences like School was finished.

The constant repetition of the same adjectives author create the atmosphere of growing tension felt that reach its climax at the end of the text. First the author uses only empty and alone, then dark, quiet and warm. In the middle of the text the list of adjectives is extended to dark, quiet, warm, empty, and at last warm, empty, quiet. The adjectives of different connotative meaning written together express a complete muddle in Karen’s mind, she cannot understand what is good and what is bad in the adult world.