You're Ugly, Too

You're Ugly, Too
Lorrie Moore

When on the balcony with Earl, Zoe tells an anecdote about a friend when responding to Earl's request to talk about love. However, this anecdote tells of her lonely but successful friend whose relationship with a man from Illinois ended with the woman committing suicide. This anecdote helps to characterize Zoe. Like the woman in the anecdote, Zoe does not need a man in order to support herself. She is educated, has a job, and can provide for herself; however, she does seem to want companionship. "This was what she'd become: a woman alone at the movies with everything in a Baggie" (Moore). Zoe realizes her loneliness while she is at the movies, but later with Earl, her sarcasm seems to push him away. For both the woman in the anecdote and for Zoe, their success in their careers causes problems in their relationships. Zoe's education causes her to be practical, which seems to repulse Earl. "You know, I just shouldn't try to go out with career women. You're all stricken, A guy can really tell what life has done to you. I do better with women who have part-time jobs" (Moore). Because Zoe can support herself, she does not desperately need a relationship. Because she lacks this desperation, she can be her sarcastic self around men even though it may offend them. If Zoe continues her similarities with the woman from her anecdote, she will never have success in her relationships.