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The speaker of the poem is a young woman, probably in junior high, or high school. We learn a lot about her through the poem through the contrasts between the nun’s life and hers. She doesn’t have her own room, at home people fight over what to watch on TV, and she has to wear her sister’s hand-me-downs. Also her mom seems to be a single mom, and her sister is boy-crazy.
The point of the poem is less to glorify the life of nuns, than to show us the girl’s life indirectly. She never complains directly about her life, but when she speaks about it, we see that she’s unhappy.
The poem’s simple diction, regular rhythms, enjambments, and contrasts help us to understand why a girl with little interest in religion is so recklessly attracted to the nun’s vocation.
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