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Izzy Bowen

Sarah Kiewitz

Intro to Literature

13 Oct 2019

Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

Most people do not know that change is a complicated psychological process. According

to Alex Lickman, “The psychology that underlies the changing of behaviors is complex. Two

researchers named Prochaska and DiClemente developed a way of describing it they called the

Stages of Change Model.” (5 Steps to Changing Any Behavior). St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised

by Wolves is a short story about girls who were raised by wolves. They were taken and put in a

home. There they went through different stages to adjust them to the culture of humans. There

are also five stages in the psychological process of change. Not understanding the psychological

process of change could cause readers to not understand the conflicts the girls had with

themselves.

The first step in the psychological process of change is precontemplation. In this stage

people have never thought they needed to change. They get this idea from friends, family, or

doctors. People usually tend to react negatively to this; they are happy with their current habits

and defend them. This stage is shown in the story. The girls are put in this home by their parents.

They do not understand why they need to change. In the story, “Our littlest sister had the

quickest reflexes. She used her hands to flatten her ears to the side of her head. She backed

towards the far corner of the garden, snarling in the most menacing register that an eight-year-old

wolf-girl can muster. Then she ran. It took them two hours to pin her down and tag her: HELLO,

MY NAME IS MIRABELLA! ‘Stage 1,’ Sister Maria sighed, taking careful aim with her
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tranquilizer dart. ‘It can be a little overstimulating.’” (Par. 12 and 13). Stage one in the story and

stage one in the psychological process are very similar because people have negative reactions in

both.

Next, is the second stage: contemplation. In this stage people think a lot about the need

for change. According to Alex Lickerman, “What exactly causes us to move from this stage to

the next is always, in my view, the change of an idea ("exercise is important") into a deeply held

belief ("I need to exercise"). (5 Steps to Changing Any Behavior). This change can take awhile

because people have to accept the idea they need to change. In the short story, the girls realize

they must work to get used to the new culture. They daydream a lot in this stage because they are

depressed and feel isolated. They also are very uncomfortable. The second stage in the

psychological process of change is similar to the second stage in the short story because the

people feel uncomfortable in this stage.

Next, is the third stage: preparation/determination. In this stage people have some

experience with change. They are committed to making a change. They also tend to gather

information on what they need to do. As stated in the Stages of Change, “ Too often, people skip

this stage: they try to move directly from contemplation into action and fall flat on their faces

because they haven’t adequately researched or accepted what it is going to take to make this

major lifestyle change.” (Stages of Change). In the third stage in the story, the girls reject the

culture. They shrink into themselves and do not understand how people live like this. They also

meet the purebred girls in this story. They learn new things about this culture. These two stages

are similar because in both people are learning new information about what they need to do to

change.
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Fourthly, is the fourth stage: action/willpower. In this stage people believe they have the

ability to change. They become actively involved in the steps to change. As stated in Stages of

Change, “This is a stage when people most depend on their own willpower. They are making

overt efforts to quit or change the behavior and are at greatest risk for relapse.” (Stages of

Change). This is one of the hardest stages because people are most vulnerable to returning to

their old habits during this time. In stage four in the short story, everything starts to make sense.

They begin to feel comfortable and their self confidence grows. The fourth stage in the

psychological process is very similar to the fourth stage in St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by

Wolves because in both stages self confidence grows. It is also similar because in both stages

things begin to make sense.

Finally, the fifth and final stage is maintenance. In this stage, people are able to

successfully avoid any tempations. They also have a goal to maintain this status. As stated in

Stages of Change, “People in maintenance constantly reformulate the rules of their lives and are

acquiring new skills to deal with life and avoid relapse. They are able to anticipate the situations

in which a relapse could occur and prepare coping strategies in advance.” (Stages of Change). In

this stage, people are able to maintain their new habits. In the final stage in the story, the girls are

able to interact effectively in their new culture. They can also move between two cultures

without completely switching back to the old culture. These two stages are similar because in

both they are able to maintain their new habits/culture. They are able to keep themselves from

returning to their old habits.

In conclusion, the psychological process of change is a complicated process. The

conflicts the girls have with themselves and others is often misunderstood because readers do not

understand the psychological process of change. The stages in the psychological process are very
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similar to the stages that the girls go through in St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. The

writer of this story could have wrote this story as a metaphor for the psychological process of

change. Many people make the decision to change everyday, but many of those people do not

know that change is a very complicated psychological process of change that takes time.
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Works Cited

Russell, Karen. St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. Reprint in The Norton Introduction

to Literature. Shorter 11th ed. Kelly J. Mays, Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.,

2013 Print.

“5 Steps To Changing Any Behavior.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-in-world/200910/5-steps-changing-any-

behavior.

“Www.cpe.vt.edu Gttc Presentations 8eStagesofChange.Pdf: Stages of Change: Presentation.”

Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/392094711291055730/.