Analyze Ned's role as Nancy's "special friend" and his relationship with Nancy. Was he included in the series only to be her escort and muscle or do they have a real relationship?
This is such a cool topic! I think it would be good to consider Bess and George as well. I think looking at how the three of them affect Nancy and how they are portrayed in comparison to Nancy would be important to add! That way we can see what they represent, and how they bring out those qualities in her – LilyaRider8 years ago
Never thought about it. I only read a handful of Nancy Drews as a kid, and of course I thought Ned was cool because, "Nancy is older and has a boyfriend; that's a cool, grown-up thing to do." As a grown woman now, I'd argue that Ned is there primarily to show amateur sleuth Nancy does "normal" things like having a boyfriend. Carolyn Keene uses Ned to try to make Nancy more human, but from what I remember, he was basically her arm candy. – Stephanie M.8 years ago