Book & Review Forums: Classic Shorts: Eight Stories for Summer
"A Respectable Woman": A Respectable Ending?
I've taught this story to high school students; they seem to like it, mostly, but they are certain that by the end of the story, Mrs. Baroda has resolved to "be very nice to" her husband's friend by being receptive to an extramarital affair. I've always preferred to view her closing declaration as ambiguous: She could mean what the students think she means, or she might have been able to use the time away from Gouvernail to let her attraction to him simmer down. If this is the case, she would have done what a truly respectable woman would do--acknowledge the attraction but, over time, stifle it.
My students like certainty, and I like not knowing.
Any opinions?
Replies (2)
Posted by
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Ambiguous and unpredictable, by the time they meet again the gentleman could be otherwise involved and not interested. Plus life changes our tastes and inclinations...Mrs. Baroda may have bigger fish to fry by that time. Life is the best mystery book!
Jul 11, 2010 3:14 pm
by dreamdust -
I like not knowing as well.
However, the kiss in the end gave me a different indication as to how the story ended. The story mentions that her husband is her friend and granted she "battles alone," but there is a tone about the entire story that disdains disloyalty. At any rate the kiss in the end is not a surrender but a refocus on her husband and her affections for him.Jun 28, 2011 2:41 pm
by skwoodiwiss
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