“It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, andbecause he loves me so” (paragraph 122). His wisdom is, to say the least, open to question, but what about his love? Do you think he suffers merely from a failure of perception, or is there a failure of affection as well?
What will be an ideal response?
- The narrator reveals that John is “practical in the extreme” and “scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures” (par. 6). As a doctor, it seems John’s opinions are usually accepted as fact. As a husband, the narrator believes at first that he loves her, which becomes even more clearly debatable to the reader as the story progresses. He tells her that he will repaper the walls and alter the room (the bed, the bars), but never does. He treats her as one would treat a child, often calling her names such as “a blessed little goose” (par. 53) and “little girl” (par. 129).
Other details suggest that all may not be well in their marriage, and the acute reader may wonder if he has been entirely faithful to his wife. For example, he has long absences on “serious cases,” which may or may not be valid (par. 89). He argues that the upstairs room doesn’t have enough room for two beds, so he remains in the downstairs room. Whatever one’s interpretation of these details may be, there is one aspect of their marriage that is consistently clear: John does not listen to his wife. She often makes seemingly casual comments like “he knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him” (par. 42) or “he laughs at me so about this wallpaper” (par. 48). That she keeps telling the reader that he loves her seems to be a way for her to cope with her imprisoned state.
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Use el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo o el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo de los verbos que mejor completen las siguientes oraciones.
No es verdad que los niños _______________________________ la ventana con la pelota.
Lukas hat zwei Geschwistern: Andi ist sein (his) Bruder und Sonja ist seine _______________.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
Il nome di un film o un libro: _______________________________________________________
Aiuta Giovanni, un ragazzino, con i suoi compiti. Aiutalo a scegliere la risposta giusta per ogni domanda. Usa le frasi solo una volta.
Which of these sentences is correctly expressed?
a. To earn work recognition, extra hours and dedication are necessary. b. Extra hours and dedication are necessary to earn work recognition. c. We should be dedicated and work extra hours to earn work recognition.