Francie’s roommate is a caring presence in Francie’s college life. When Francie shares with her a particularly absurd idea for a new story, she takes Francie out for a drink, which demonstrates, on one hand, her affection for Francie, and on the other hand, her inability to understand or empathize with Francie’s creative ambition. Her suggestion that Francie only writes about her boyfriend shows that her comprehension of Francie’s work only extends to the things she knows about her—a sign that Francie is not yet a fully accomplished writer and that her roommate, like her mother, will never totally understand her, despite caring for her in practical ways.
Francie’s Roommate Quotes in How to Become a Writer
The How to Become a Writer quotes below are all either spoken by Francie’s Roommate or refer to Francie’s Roommate. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
How to Become a Writer
Quotes
You spend too much time slouched and demoralized. Your boyfriend suggests bicycling. Your roommate suggests a new boyfriend. You are said to be self-mutilating and losing weight, but you continue writing. The only happiness you have is writing something new, in the middle of the night, armpits damp, heart pounding, something no one has yet seen.
Related Characters:
Francie, Francie’s Boyfriend, Francie’s Roommate
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Francie’s Roommate Character Timeline in How to Become a Writer
The timeline below shows where the character Francie’s Roommate appears in How to Become a Writer. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
How to Become a Writer
...smile sweetly. When Francie becomes demoralized, her boyfriend suggests she should try cycling, while her roommate suggests she should get a different boyfriend. Francie’s only happy when she’s writing something new...
(full context)
...called Richard whose wife refers to him as “Mopey Dick.” Upon hearing the idea, Francie’s roommate puts an arm around Francie’s shoulders and suggests they go out for a beer. Francie’s...
(full context)
At parties, when people ask Francie what she writes about, her roommate drunkenly tells them that Francie always writes about her boyfriend. Francie stubbornly disagrees with her...
(full context)
