Background of the author
Class Discussion Questions:
1. What does the narrator mean when she says that "Everyone, real or invented, deserves the open destiny of life" (387)? What does this idea have to do with storytelling?
2. Who is the "stubborn hero" with whom the author must reach agreement in this story (388)? Who is the protagonist in the finished story WE are reading?
3. Why can't the father in the story see beyond the ending of the story his daughter writes, even though she insists that her character could change (390)?
4. How does Paley explore the intersection between art and life in this story? Are "art" and "life" conflicting or complementary terms (390)?
