"Numbers" is by Gwen Hart. In each of the eight stories about her and her husband, Hart uses numbers as an avenue to explore their relationship. Most contain numbers that are significant to her intentions, but 4 does not. In story 4, there is a conversation between a woman and her husband about the pictures on their refridgerator of Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman. Her husband says that Robert Redford is missing and should be on the fridge. The numbers in story 1 are all reversals of each other and are 27 apart: "14 and 41, 25 and 52, 36 and 63, 47 and 74, 58 and 85, 69 and 96." It is probably a reference to their age difference and the older will probably be dead. Story 2 reference's Dominique Swain, who played Lollita in the film of the same name. Her husband says "The actress who played Lolita. That was no sixteen-year-old girl." She responds emphatically that it was definitely a sixteen-year-old. This is hinting at the idea that her husband is attracted to this young girl, making him analogous to Humbert, the incestual step-father. In each story about her and her husband, Hart uses numbers as an avenue to explore their relationship.
In "Cottage Life" the author, Marsha Tupitsyn, has three characters: the woman writing this piece (it seems like a letter), the reader is the person this piece is addressed to, another man (referred to only as "he") and his brother. The woman says:
"A Truro cottage had me in its corners. you chose a ridiculous sized house. Like a little cottage for elves. Meanwhile, I'm almost six feet tall."
This is the only reference in the entire piece to a cottage so the title implies that the events that happen in this story are the result of living in a "cottage." The "cottage" was too small for this woman, who may be tall, but is most likely a reference a a confined, sheltered life. She doesn't seem to be too fond of the reader, indicating she had a lot of shame or negative feelings toward her body and her appearance. Referring to a birthmark, she says "Showing it to someone new mortified me every time." In the same paragraph she introduces the man, who is awestruck and emotionally moved by her physical beauty. She ends up living with this man in a house that is small enough that they cannot "keep our fights to ourselves" when his brother comes over. It is interesting that she ends up in a small house again, but she does not seem as negative about it, despite the fights.
In "Cottage Life" the author, Marsha Tupitsyn, has three characters: the woman writing this piece (it seems like a letter), the reader is the person this piece is addressed to, another man (referred to only as "he") and his brother. The woman says:
"A Truro cottage had me in its corners. you chose a ridiculous sized house. Like a little cottage for elves. Meanwhile, I'm almost six feet tall."
This is the only reference in the entire piece to a cottage so the title implies that the events that happen in this story are the result of living in a "cottage." The "cottage" was too small for this woman, who may be tall, but is most likely a reference a a confined, sheltered life. She doesn't seem to be too fond of the reader, indicating she had a lot of shame or negative feelings toward her body and her appearance. Referring to a birthmark, she says "Showing it to someone new mortified me every time." In the same paragraph she introduces the man, who is awestruck and emotionally moved by her physical beauty. She ends up living with this man in a house that is small enough that they cannot "keep our fights to ourselves" when his brother comes over. It is interesting that she ends up in a small house again, but she does not seem as negative about it, despite the fights.
great.
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