"No One's a Mystery"
by Elizabeth Tallent
narrator: the girl , first person point of view
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characters:
Jack: middle-aged, occupation?
drove a truck
smoked
wore jeans
talked ill of his wife
18-year-old nameless girl
who was under age when she met Jack
Jack's wife: middle-aged,by the car and the way she drive
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| Jack | girl | |
| tonight | she loves Jack | agrees |
| in a year | she parts with Jack | get married |
| in 2 years | she forgets about Jack | They have a son little Jack |
| in 3 years | he laughed at the name Rosamund | They have daughter named Eliza Rosamund |
middlename: sometimes mother's last name
Story's title is from lyrics of the song "It Hasn't Happened Yet"
No One's a Mystery
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Questions:
1.How does Jack's present to the narrator, the "five-year diary with a latch and a little key," function symbolically in the story?
2.What do we learn about Jack's marriage? Through what details are these insights communicated?
3.What does each character's version of their future tell us about him or her?
4.The story ends with Jack's words,"if you want to know the truth." Do you think that the narrator does want to know the truth? Explain.
5.A quoted phrase can often take on new meanings in a new context. Consider the story's title:Is its application to the story literal or ironic?
How is the title related to Elizabeth Tallent's story?
