No One's A Mystery

“No One’s a Mystery” is mainly about innocence and how coming-of-age plays an important role in a relationship. Tallent plays out a contrast between hopeful expectations and disappointing reality through the character of a naive, innocent girl involved with an older, experienced man. The girl appears to be very comfortable with Jack, even though he pushes her into hiding below the dashboard, and despite her spirited singing along with Rosanne Cash on the tape deck, her casual drinking of tequila, and her acceptance of the gift. The curiosity builds when he gives her a five-year diary for her eighteenth birthday, almost foreshadowing a future together. The girl had experienced many changes in consequence of being with Jack. Her loss of innocence is further emphasized as she offers the following insights regarding their future together: "Jack should be home any minute now, but I don't know if I can wait until after the trout a la Navarra to make love to him. "In Tallent's "No One's a Mystery", the story shows having faith in someone is difficult to do especially when you're in a relationship with a person. In Jack and the girl's case, the naive girl questions her future with Jack when he treats her like a child and mocks her when she speaks. Jack chooses to mock her realism by challenging her playfully. Although she still has a serious love for Jack, she is now jaded and aware of what difficulties lay ahead. Another example would be when she is interrupted by a skeptical comment from the older man she continues, "Little Jack is hungry for his supper." Jack laughs as she draws to a close, "My nipples are a little sore from nursing Eliza Rosamund." Stirring traces of sight, smell, sound, and touch, all feed into her introspective outlook, but strangely. The story, “No One’s a Mystery” by Elizabeth Tallent explores the relationship of two characters, whom are both rather disputable. The young girl in the story remains unnamed and could be