The Younger Woman Character Analysis

The younger woman is part of a family of bathers that have set up on the beach near the narrator. She is wearing a bright green swimsuit and is lying at the man’s feet. She has an angry look on her face as she watches the man play with the sand and pile it onto the older woman’s legs. After the man places the sand in between the older woman’s breasts, the younger woman jumps to her feet with laughter. Then she starts chasing the two young boys—who are perhaps her little brothers—around the beach. The smaller one escapes into the lake while the larger one throws himself over a bench. She follows him and jumps over the bench as well. After she does this, the smaller boy runs out of the water and pinches her on her waist. She angrily pushes him down onto the sand. Though she can still hear their squeals and moans, the narrator tries to escape from all the commotion by closing her eyes and dreaming about the boy she loves.