The Five-Forty-Eight Essay Questions

Do you think “The Five-Forty-Eight” has a moral lesson? If so, what is it?

To a certain extent, "The Five-Forty-Eight" tells a classic story of revenge. Blake treats Miss Dent in a despicable manner, and believes there will be no consequences. She then resurfaces in his life to threaten and humiliate him, taking her revenge. At the same time, Miss Dent presents herself as deranged and unstable, making it difficult to sympathize with her. Thus there is something pathetic about both Blake and Miss Dent that prevents any one moral lesson from truly hitting home.

What role does the setting of suburbia play in "The Five-Forty-Eight"?

In Blake's life, as well as the life of men throughout the suburbs of New York City, the office in Manhattan and the home in Shady Hill are separate worlds. Suburbia represents the promise of whiteness, of middle class affluence, and of the American Dream. Miss Dent imagines Blake's life in the suburbs—in terms of a happy marriage, loving children, and comfort—with longing. But she is wrong: as the narrator notes, "She seemed to imagine the lives of the rest of the world to be more brilliant than they were." As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that this fantasy is a lie. Blake's marriage is rocky and his children prefer to stay over at their neighbors' houses. In "The Five-Forty-Eight," suburbia represents the illusion or facade of middle-class affluence in America.