Essay Questions

In the story 'Dying for Love', what is common among the characters Lizzie, Elizabeth, and Beth?

The author of this book paints a reality of life using the characters Beth, Elizabeth, and Lizzie. Sometimes life can be unfair and go against one's intentions and desires. This reality of life is demonstrated by Elizabeth, Beth, and Lizzie because they are all unlucky when it comes to finding the love of their lives. The reader realizes that each of these characters is contemplating suicide because life is being unfair to them. For instance, Beth is aware that drinking a cup of hot milk increases her weight but she is drinking milk every day since Ted left her. The wight problem poses a health risk to Beth but she is taking because Ted leaves her for another woman. The rest of the female characters in this story paint a sad reality of what women who are trying to find true love go through in life. Life gets unfair when these women fall for people who do not value their love.

What is the symbolic meaning of the ‘Mirrors’?

The 'Mirrors' represent self-denial or ignoring self-reflection. This story is about a couple that is struggling with the decision on whether to preserve their mirrors or destroy them and get rid of them from their cottage in the lake. The decision on whether to preserve or destroy these mirrors has lingered in the minds of this couple for over three decades. It is however not clear whether the couple destroyed the mirrors at last but the impression the reader gets is that the mirrors play a vital role in self-reflecting and in making informed decisions.

How does the author tell us to value what we have and make good use of them while they exist?

In the story 'Absence' the author introduces a woman who wakes up and takes a cup of coffee and set to start working on her computer. She is ready to write a story and she gets down to start working. Unfortunately, she realizes that the key for the letter 'I' is broken. She tries to compose her story but it becomes irrelevant without the letter 'I'. Throughout her life, she has never valued the significance of that key until when she misses it. She realizes that the composition of her story without the letter 'I' is irrelevant. The woman realizes that she has often taken the key with the letter 'I' for granted because now she cannot do anything relevant without it. The author intends to notify the reader that it is significant to value what you have.