Anecdotes

In You're Ugly, Too Lorrie Moore develops the character of Zoe Hendricks predominantly through the use of anecdotes. Moreover, Moore uses several different anecdotes to convey the complexity of Zoe's character. More than once, the author uses anecdotes in the form of past student evaluations received by Zoe. For instance, "Professor Hendricks is often late for class and usually arrives with a cup of hot chocolate, which she offers the class sips of...." reveals that Zoe is an often flustered woman who doesn't seem to have her life together. I mean, I highly doubt many of her students were anxiously awaiting for their professor to offer to share her hot chocolate. Zoe does not quite have a grasp on how to relate to others. Other evaluations include "Just because Professor Hendricks is from Spain doesn't give her the right to be so negative about our country" and "Professor Hendricks has said critical things about Fawn Hall, the Catholic religion, and the whole state of Illinois. It is unbelieveable." Both of these reveal Zoe's abonormality in comparison to society. The fact that she is often in vocal opposition to the normal order of things is paralleled with the difficult time she has fitting in with others. In addition to the evaluations, anecdotes of past dates that Zoe went on are used to show that she also has a hard time finding chemistry with a member of the opposite sex. Through small glimpses of Zoe's life, the reader is able to grasp the true nature of her charcter.