Angel, By Steven Crane

A tiny evil, demanding, and annoying child who has everyone in the neighborhood wrapped around her pinky is no angel child. Cora, seemingly innocent young girl found in Crane’s short story, assumes a de facto position of authority in her family’s home. The trouble further involves her keen ability to instigate conflict and persuade other children to take part. Her persona reverses, however, when she approaches her parents reflecting the very picture of angelic innocence. The parents, although somewhat naïve, begin to see through the veneer of her saccharine smile, and their development as characters, as well as her own, reveals a minor theme in the story. This theme involves the idea that the upbringing of an individual in a household may cause
Her controlling character not only had the children in trouble by her orders but also her father in which she innocently blames it was his fault for her actions. Her mother does not see her wickedness and is on her sweet innocent angel child’s side and believing she was not to be blamed. One can also see the stupidity and obliviousness of the mother to not see right past Cora’s naïve smile. It seems that Cora has worked her way around her parents into getting what she wants. Though she may seem she is doing well by insisting and paying for all the children getting haircuts, the outcome of the situation is what she least expected but does not take up for the blame knowing what she did would just cause trouble for everyone. Her character can represent that people can be seen differently by people in their lives such as her parents not realizing that she causes trouble and is controlling with everyone around her. Little Miss Cora’s cute and appealing appearance will surely have everyone in awe but as soon as she speaks, her high pitched, demanding voice is known around town but not in a good sense. White clothing usually symbolizes purity and innocence and is the complete opposite of Cora’s character in which her white frock can symbolize her cruel and petty manipulations rather than her charming and innocent character. The title of the short story, The Angel child contradicts the character of little miss Cora as pure and blameless but in reality, her compelling and demanding personality is bound for trouble. Her admiration from her parents seem to do her no good in which she is just as direct and commanding with them as she is with the other children, but her parents are clueless and insensible of her terrible behavior and do not see that she is the one to blame for the actions she has