Marjorie never giggled, was never frightened, seldom embarrassed, and in fact had very few of the qualities which Bernice considered appropriately and blessedly feminine.

This brief and useful distillation of Marjorie’s character occurs early in the story. Marjorie is uninterested in presenting herself in a traditionally feminine way. She refuses to act like a retiring, shy young person embarrassed by her gender. Rather, she has hardened herself and become disinterested in sentimentality. Marjorie seems to view relationships as a zero-sum game, with a winner and a loser in each interaction. She refuses to lose, even if she needs to humiliate Bernice to do so.

“You little nut! Girls like you are responsible for all the tiresome colorless marriages; all those ghastly inefficiencies, that pass as feminine qualities.”

Here, during the cousins’ heated exchange after Bernice catches Marjorie badmouthing her behind her back, Marjorie openly explicates everything that she sees as wrong about Bernice. Bernice wants to be the girl she has been raised to be: quiet, polite, modest, and hopeful that a man will come along and instinctually recognize these qualities as appropriate and desirable. Marjorie is baffled by the idea that anyone should act like Bernice does, and she believes that performing these traits is a trap. She insists that when women show themselves to be less than they are, they invite bad relationships and unhappy marriages.

“I hate dainty minds,” answered Marjorie. “But a girl has to be dainty in person. If she looks like a million dollars she can talk about Russia, ping-pong, or the League of Nations and get away with it.”

Marjorie understands that she must present herself a certain way to get what she wants. Her social life is a kind of game. She has to look a certain way to be accepted at all, so she is willing to present herself with conventional beauty standards. Marjorie also understands that by looking a certain way, she can act in a different way if she wants to. She may disdain the necessities required by her social circle, but she can parlay that appearance into power, doling it out slowly or unleashing it at the opportune time. Here, Marjorie distinguishes herself from her peers and allows for deeper understanding of why and how she operates at the center of her social circle.

Fascinated, Bernice watched the braids grow. Heavy and luxurious they were, moving under the supple fingers like restive snakes—and to Bernice remained this relic and the curling-iron and a to-morrow full of eyes.

Near the end of the story, Bernice fixates on Marjorie’s hair as they get ready for bed. In this instance, Marjorie’s hair represents everything that she has taken from Bernice. The braids are “snakes,” symbols of betrayal, and their length and luxuriousness are a mockery of Bernice’s terrible haircut. Bernice knows what the next day will bring, as she understands how the gossip network functions, as well as what the fallout will be for her socially. As Bernice considers the position she has allowed Marjorie to put her in, the braids transform from a symbol of betrayal into an avenue for revenge in the story’s final moments.