The line you have quoted comes just after Della has had to
accept the fact that she has been unable to save enough money to buy her husband, Jim, a
present worthy of the love that she has for him. The introductory paragraphs of this
classic story stress the harshness of the circumstances that Jim and Della face in their
lives and how poverty affects them. After Della finishes having a good cry because she
is upset about the fact that it is Christmas tomorrow and she won't be able to buy a
present for Jim, she looks out of the window, and sees her mood reflected in what she
sees. Note the repetition of the word "grey" in the quote you have identified. This of
course summarises Della's grey life at this point, as she has to cope with her
expectations of surprising Jim with a lovely present being crushed. Note how the two are
so closely intertwined in the narrative:
readability="8">She stood by the window and looked out dully at a
grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey back yard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day and
she only had $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present... Many a happy hour she had spent
planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something
just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned by
Jim.Thus the quote you
identify is explicitly linked to the sense of disappointment and lack of hope expressed
by Della. She has just been forced to accept that her plan of buying a worthy present
for her husband has come to naught, and her world is tinged with bleak despair as a
result.
No comments:
Post a Comment