"Yes, I have been an actress for a long time" (185). Miss Brill definitely reminds me of Bartleby. They both have Augsburg's-like mind sets. They're awkward, interesting, and like to just watch others. This story is sad though. She gets made fun of by some random girl, who comes off to me as a complete ditz. Miss Brill just wants people to like her the same way she likes them, but she's just ridiculed instead. It obviously upsets her deeply because at the end, she's crying.

"He was masked; it could not be said if he was black or white, and therefore proved the property owner was no racist" (233). Once Upon a Time is seriously a great "fairy" tale. Well, anti-fairy tale. The satire is so prominent, that at times its almost humorous, but the kind of funny that you know you're not really supposed to laugh at. To begin with, the author right off the bat says she doesn't want to write a children's book, but then does The family is so afraid of the rioters and bumbs, that instead of the others going to jail for what they do, the family jails themselves in. They keep building up and up trying to keep people out, then build a Nazi-like barbed wire fence, but still they get hurt. The satire of the society in it really shows what the time period was like.

"But Phoenix only waited and stared straight ahead, her face very solemn and withdrawn into rigidity" (229). This story, A Worn Path, is so sad. This woman does what she's always done, not thinking about it, and never questioning it. But only then realizes that this is all she does now, and really for no reason at all. There were a few parts that I had questions about, however. Why does she steal money from people? Does she feel bad about it? What time era is it? In the woods, it seem civil-war, but in the town seems modern day.

"She felt her cheek pale and cold and out of a maze of distress, she prayed to God to direct her, to show her what was her duty" (221). In Eveline, a woman must decide between the life she knows so well, and a new life with her boyfriend. This story is very much ironic because Eveline wants to leave her life so much. Her father is abusive, her mother and brother are dead, and she has nothing to look forward to each day. Her boyfriend, however, would be a new adventure, and she would never have to be with her father again. However, the irony is that she can't leave. Her old life is what she knows so well. If she were to leave, she would feel guilty leaving her dad and family life. By not going, she isn't doing what she wants, but is doing what she thinks is right.

"But he was wrong. They had taken a different turn a long way back" (201). Different? Not wrong? To begin with, Frank and Tub made two stops after Kenny was shot in the stomach-a very obviously fatal wound. The first stop is to get warm, and the second was so Tub could eat without being regretful. This whole time, Tub and Frank are bonding, while Kenny is in the back freezing and shot. They weren't very nice to him when his was shot (e.g. lifting him gently, keeping him warm) and they didn't care too much that they stopped so often. Then when it says "different" it makes me wonder if they want Kenny to die. Kenny was mean to them both, and almost shot Tub first, so maybe they meant to go a different way and let him die.

"I would prefer not to" (649). Bartelby is legitimately insane. Like, not the insane-asylm-in-a-straigh-jacket sort of insane, but more like a quiet, eerie, weird sort of insane. The latter-to me- is more scary. Talking to him is like talking to a two year old. They have their own way of thinking that is 100% right to them, and if someone else doesn't think like they do, they just grow annoyingly stubborn and refuse to be told otherwise. It's completely horrible. What's weird is how stubborn he is, he refuses to do anything at all. And ultimatley this is the cause of his death.

"'You're kidding!' Frank leaned forward considering. 'That Kenny. What a card'" (201). Kenny in the story seems to be the antagonist of the three. He eggs people on, plays horribly cruel jokes on others, and eventually points a gun at his friend. Tub is a very interesting character, he's a binge eater, and lies to his friends and family about it. He hoards food, and is passive-agressive when it comes to being teased. Frank is Tub's true friend, but is with a 15 year old girl, and is going to leave is wife for her. All three men are really messed up, but they still seem to be pretty good friends.

"Maggie smiled; maybe at the sunglasses. But a real smile, not scared" (181). The character of Maggie in everyday use is one that is relatable, but also seemingly distant. She's relatable because many people in life have set backs that make them feel not as good about themselves. She's also rather distant, however, because the narrator is Mama, not her, so it's hard to know what she is thinking. Mama is a very tough character on the outside. However, it is very obvious how much she loves Maggie, and will do anything for her. Dee is a very selfish, unloving character. She wants the quilts as a sort of shrine to her heritage, whereas Maggie wants them because she wants to use the quilts she helped make.

"No letter was ever going to come." "How I Met My Husband" was my favorite of the three stories, but is still left the most unanswered questions. Why was Chris such a drifter? Did the war do that to him, or is that just who he is? Is Alice stalking him or actually engaged to him, but following him around everywhere? Why is Chris running? Why is Edie the help? Is she lying to her husband by never telling him the real story? Why did she even marry Carmichael? How long did she wait for the letter?

"...The women mostly went out of curiosity to see the inside of her house..." This quote is from "A Rose for Emily." To begin with, as weird as is sounds, this story reminds me a bit of high school. The gossip and rumors in this story remind me of it, not the creepy sleeping with dead people thing. Because this story is said by an unknown speaker that just refers to them self as "we" this story can have absolutely no truth to it. It could actually be an exaggeration of what really happened, or it could just be a silly scary story with little to no truth to it. It starts out believable with the tax audit, but the ending was not only just weird, but somewhat unrealistic. And what does a rose have to even do with this story?

"He glanced up from his paperback tour book, which said 'INDIA'..." The story, "Interpreter of Maladies" is full of Irony. To begin with, the whole story is about a young Indian couple. They were both born in America, but first generation. The irony is that they know nothing about India, and in fact, the tour guide says they are more American that Indian. Another irony is the misinterpretation of what the tour guide's other job is. Mrs. Das thinks that he can cure her for keeping this secret from her family. When in fact, Mr. Kapasi just interprets between the patient and the doctor, he himself does not cure. He does, in the end, sort of cure her, but really only makes her realize that she just feels guilty and should tell the truth.

"I was fifteen and away from home for the first time." This quote is from "How I Met My Husband." There are not very many metaphors or silimies in this story. However, she does have flashbacks to her home. One of which included talking about her schooling and how smart she is. From what she says, she tells the reader that she is not particularly bright, but good at other things. I find it interesting that she was even allowed to go to school in the 1940s, but also very glad that she at least attempted. She says that she didn't like school because she was shy, and because the work was too hard.