_
1. The passage below suggests that Marietta has a distaste for men. Why do you think this is?
“But Marietta never could stand men laughing. There were always places she hated to go past, let alone into, and that was the reason. Men laughing. Because of that, she hated barbershops, hated their smell.” (p. 688)
2. Euphemia comments that their family matters did not concern her brothers. For this reason, she was glad to have sons instead of daughters, believing that this would break the pattern of grief in the family. Why do you think she believes that boys are unaffected?
3. Throughout the story, it is revealed that some memories are recollected differently by others. An example of this is Marietta’s mother’s “attempted” suicide. Marietta recollects that her mother meant to kill herself, whereas Beryl remembers that the incident was merely a prank to get the father’s attention. What is the importance of these two different versions of the incidence and how does it relate to the character’s personalities?
4. Why do you think Euphemia becomes enraged by Bob Marks’ comment on “sexual shenanigans” at the end of the story?
____________________________________________________________________
Munro, Alice. “The Progress of Love.” An Anthology of Canadian Literature in English. 3rd Ed. Donna Bennett and Russell Brown. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2010. 681-701. Print