In Danielle Evans’ short story "Lissa, Amateur," the protagonist is trapped in a state of suspended animation. At twenty-six, Lissa is neither a child nor a fully realized adult, a Limbo exacerbated by the recent death of her mother. Evans uses Lissa’s foray into the world of amateur acting and her strained relationship with her father’s new family to explore how individuals "perform" their identities to mask the vacuum left by profound loss. Ultimately, the story suggests that being an "amateur"—in acting and in life—is a defense mechanism against the terrifying permanence of grief.

Are you analyzing this story for a , or is this for personal interest ?

In the end, "Lissa, Amateur" is a study of the "fool self" Evans references in her book’s title. Lissa is not a failure because she is an amateur; she is struggling because she is trying to navigate a world that demands she be "over it" before she has even begun to process it. The story concludes not with a neat resolution, but with a realization: Lissa must eventually stop rehearsing and start living in the discomfort of her own skin. Grief cannot be performed; it must be felt, and until Lissa puts down the script of the cynical amateur, she will remain a ghost in her own life. Was this the focus you needed?

The title itself serves as a double entendre. On the surface, it refers to the "amateur" acting gig Lissa takes, where she is paid to play a "medical person" in a simulation. However, the term more accurately describes Lissa’s approach to her own life. She is an amateur at navigating the expectations of adulthood and a novice at processing her mother’s death. By engaging in simulations, Lissa finds a space where the stakes are low and the script is provided. In the "real" world, however, she struggles to find a script that fits her new reality as an orphan. Her cynicism—a "knowing" detachment—is actually a shield; if she treats her life like a rehearsal, the pain of her mother’s absence cannot fully take root.