The Member of the Wedding #1

"It happened that green and crazy summer when Frankie was twelve years old. This was the summer when for a long time she had not been a member" (McCullers, 3).

In the above introductory sentences, McCuller employs ambiguity to catch the reader's attention and instill moderate suspense or curiosity. The first sentence states that something happened, though it fails to clarify, and this ambiguity is not remedied until significantly later in the book. The second sentence claims that Frankie "had not been a member" during the aforementioned summer. This vague fact is only slightly explained by the following sentence that states "she belonged to no club and was a member of nothing in the world." This additional utilization of ambiguity serves to characterize Frankie. Some may interpret her to be consequently independent, lonely, or unsocial. Regardless of interpretation, the vagueness of McCullers language undeniably creates curiosity and awareness of Frankie's failure to be "a member" of any club.