The Girls

The first chapters of The Girls introduce the reader to Evie, the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Cline uses the first-person point of view, which gives the reader an intimate understanding of how the girls’ influence warps Evie’s teenage psyche as she tries to become a different version of herself. Adult Evie recalls being 14 the summer of 1969 in California, and this setting foreshadows the grisly crimes to come because Cline is alluding to the summer the Manson Family murdered five people at the residence of actress Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. This foreshadowing is important because it prevents the reader from becoming seduced by the girls the way Evie was. The first-person narrative voice continuously reminds the reader that Evie is getting herself involved in something ominous and dangerous. Because the story is told in hindsight, the reader also understands that Evie could only have been on the periphery of the crime. The question that haunts Evie is whether she would have participated if circumstances had been different. Cline distinguishes her fictionalization of the Manson murders by focusing on Evie’s coming of age, struggle to figure out who she is, and her infatuation with people who are secure in their identity—regardless of whether that identity is confident and kind (like Tamar) or confident and violent (like Suzanne).

Evie is at a vulnerable point in her adolescence. This moment in her life reflects Cline’s theme of The Perils Teenage Girls Face. At 14, she is lonely, inexperienced, innocent, bored, and self-conscious. Evie is like any other teenage girl who is struggling to know who she is. Evie misses many signs of danger because she has been sheltered and well-protected from the world around her. Evie violates her own bubble of safety through her projection onto Suzanne. She becomes entranced by Suzanne because Suzanne exudes a confidence that Evie wants for herself. She projects what she hopes she can be onto Suzanne, which is an easy step because she doesn’t know anything about Suzanne except that she’s daringly confident. Another example of Evie’s innocence is that she doesn’t know anything about Russell even though there have been rumors about him. This foreshadows the shocking depth of Russell’s bad behavior, behavior Evie can’t imagine in her innocence. She also misses some crucial signs about Suzanne, another sign of innocence and inexperience. Suzanne is visibly unkempt; she has no money to buy something as necessary as toilet paper; and other people, such as the store owner, treat her with well-earned animosity. Other people see or sense the danger that Suzanne presents, but Evie can’t fathom what Suzanne is capable of or why other people, who know better, are averse to her.

Evie is seduced by Suzanne’s mysterious qualities as Suzanne opens a new world to her, represented by Suzanne. This new world is gritty, breaks the rules, and rejects the traditional view of family as well as society’s expectation that girls be polite and put together. Evie is struggling with her feelings about being average. She internalizes her parents’ wish to send her to boarding school as proof that there is nothing special about her. This fear of being average is a byproduct of Evie’s not yet having identity of her own. Evie doesn’t know who she is, but she knows she doesn’t want to be average. This further develops Cline’s themes of The Perils Teenage Girls Face and Social Disillusionment.

Cline draws parallelism to Charles Manson and his cult early in the novel. Though The Girls is a fictionalized interpretation of Charles Manson and the girls who blindly and happily followed him, Cline adapts the inner and external workings of Charles Manson’s cult in this novel. For example, Charles Manson was famously followed and worshipped by teenage girls and young women who advocated for his leadership and spiritual power. They also did his dirty work, and some were incarcerated for the murders they committed in his name. Charles Manson and his cult had a specific aesthetic that Cline adapts here: the counterculture hippie aesthetic of the 1960s. Another parallel to Charles Manson is the introduction of Mitch Lewis, a famous musician who records with Russell. Charles Manson had had a friendship with Dennis Wilson, the drummer for The Beach Boys. Readers familiar with the story of Charles Manson know that Manson and Wilson ended up in conflict, which partly motivated Manson to escalate his crimes. For readers who know this history, Cline hints that Mitch Lewis and Russell will not remain friends, and the rift causes tension for everyone. The references and parallels to cult behavior develop the theme of Manipulation and Power Dynamics.

Structurally, the narrator’s story of the summer of 1969 from the perspective of her adult self foreshadows another type of tension. There is something suspicious about Julian that threatens adult Evie’s carefully curated, quiet life. Julian’s girlfriend is young and quiet, eyes down and following a boy; thus, Cline creates a parallel between Julian’s girlfriend and young Evie. Because there are so many implications that Evie was in some ways destroyed by the influences in her teenage life, it is likely that Julian’s girlfriend is in similar kind of trouble.

Cline uses imagery and symbolism when describing Evie’s experiences as a teenager. The imagery helps capture the magical thinking in which teenagers engage. Every moment in a teenager’s perception is ripe for meaning, good or bad. The language of the novel helps the reader see the world through Evie’s eyes and therefore relate to Evie and understand how she could have become so seduced by Suzanne and the other girls. This evokes the theme of The Perils Teenage Girls Face.

In Chapter 5, Cline introduces Russell, the primary antagonist of the novel who masquerades as a spiritual leader. Russell is hypnotic in his odd spirituality and positive vibes. But he quickly abuses Evie; she’s underage and seemingly not mature enough to consent, so she doesn’t protest when he persuades her to perform oral sex. The rapidity with which Russell homes in on Evie and finds the way to seduce her into his group proves his experience in convincing people to follow him despite dubious appearances. Evie, thirsty for adventure and a sense of belonging, is thrilled that Russell is paying attention to her. Russell understands this vulnerability and takes advantage of it. He senses that Evie needs belonging and attention that makes her feel special. Suzanne dresses Evie as one of the girls and invites her to stay the night. Russell ritualistically uses sex and feigns understanding of Evie’s sadness to make her believe that she is special. Suzanne and Russell make Evie feel like one of them so quickly that it’s clear they have experience manipulating others into their cult. Despite the inherent danger and dilapidation of the commune, Evie feels that it’s the beginning of the rest of her life. Russell’s characterization and actions develop the theme of Manipulation and Power Dynamics.