What Is the Narrator Saying in the First Sentence?

What Is the Narrator Saying in the First Sentence?

QUESTIONS:

  1. What is the narrator saying in the first sentence?
  2. Read lines 1-7 carefully and consider the style of the narrative voice. Can you detect subtle stylistic shifts between “Sylvia now” and “Sylvia then”?
  3. Who do lines 2-3 most effectively characterise? What do we learn?
  4. Do you accept what you are told about the junk man's attitude in line 4?
  5. How do you understand “the only woman on the block with no first name” (line 8)?
  6. Comment on lines 12-13 (“and our parents...shape”).
  7. What do we learn about the narrator in the first paragraph (lines 1-24)?
  8. What impression do we get of Miss Moore from the first paragraph? What about Aunt Gretchen? How is this impression created?
  9. In what way does the narrative point of view shift on line 25? Does it stay like this until the end? What effect does this have?
  10. In line 46, Miss Moore chooses to give the taxi money to Sylvia. Does this choice surprise you? Is there any evidence as to why she made this choice?
  11. (lines 42-59) How old do you think the children are? What evidence do you have?
  12. What does Sylvia find “crazy” about the fur coat? What doesn't she mention? How is this relevant to the story?
  13. Explain Sylvia's reaction to Miss Moore's comment on line 91.
  14. Why do Sylvia and Sugar curtsy (line 93)?
  15. What's interesting about Mercedes' speech style (lines 103-5)?
  16. What's striking about Sylvia's explanation of the size of the sailboat in lines 111-2?
  17. On line 114, the narrator “hear[s] [her]self say” something. What does this choice of words communicate to the reader?
  18. This story is titled The Lesson. Is there a lesson being taught? What is it?
  19. (lines 117-9) Does Sylvia appear to have learnt the lesson?
  20. Comment on lines 126-8.
  21. Sylvia and Sugar find it difficult to enter the toy shop. Why? What do we learn about Sylvia here?
  22. How would you explain Sylvia's anger on lines 167-8?
  23. What does Sylvia mean when she says “cocking her head to the side to get a better view of the hole in my head” (line 178)
  24. (lines 187-9) What is the conflict Sylvia is involved in? Has she won?
  25. Why does she describe Sugar's behaviour as treachery?
  26. What does the last sentence suggest about Sylvia's development? Have any of the other characters developed?

BONUS QUESTION 1: What effect is created by the style of English used in the story?

BONUS QUESTION 2: Paraphrase these phrases in your own words:

  • “Junebug go to town on that 'naked' and we rolling” (lines 75-6)
  • “Q.T. liable to come up behind you years later and get his licks in when you half expect it” (line 136)
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