Discussion starters
In the first three paragraphs, Anderson tells us about Alice Hindman's home life
and that "beneath a placid exterior a continual ferment went on"
(59). In what ways does Anderson corroborate this report in the story?
Small points out that "[c]ritics have devoted more comment to relationships between this story and other tales . . . than to analysis to the story itself." What does this story tell us without reference to the other stories?
Small tells us that Brian Way sees Alice's problem is that she has confused "sexual contact with genuine communication." In what ways is this true in the story? In what ways
might this analysis fit other stories we have read?
What misperceptions do you detect in Alice's view of society?
Critical Sources
- Papinchak, Robert Allen. Sherwood Anderson: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1993. On reserve.
- Small, Judy Jo. A Reader's Guide to the Short Stories of Sherwood Anderson. New York: G. K. Hall, 1994. On reserve.