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“The Wife’s Story”
Analysis & Comprehension Questions
1. The diction of the narrator, the wolf wife, resembles that of someone living in the country. This is one quality of the
story’s narration that disguises the identity of the narrator as an animal. Below, list some of the phrases from the story
that lead the reader to believe that the narrator is a human woman living in the country. One example is done for you.
“. . . he was over here pretty near all the time”
2. At the beginning of the story, the wife creates a picture of her husband as an ideal mate (characterization). This picture
helps set the stage for the surprising revelation at the end of the story. List the qualities of the husband that the wife
admires during the first months of their courtship and marriage.
3. Le Guin uses a great deal of foreshadowing early in the story to indicate that something tragic will occur. List pieces
of foreshadowing from the story that help to create this foreboding.
4. Hindsight is when a person realizes something after an event or after reading a story that he or she could have picked
up on earlier. A) List three things the wife could have realized about her husband if she were paying closer attention. B)
What role did hindsight have in the story?
5. How do the moon and the sun function as symbols in the story? Provide two or three examples as evidence of your
claims.
6. This story has a significant emotional crisis and a brutal physical climax. A) Define the crisis and the climax of the
story. B) Explain how the author uses suspense to lead to both of these plot events.
7. Examine the setting: (place and time) of the story and explain its importance. Identify five things about setting’s place
and the setting’s time that are revealed in the text. Include quotes and page numbers.
8. Reflection is when the voice of the narrator appears in the text and makes comments AFTER the event about what he
or she felt, thought, or realized. Discuss the narrator’s reflections and provide three things she reflects upon. Include the
actual quotes/words and their page numbers in your discussion.
9. The point of view of a story is developed by the person who is telling the story. This narrative tricks the reader
because it has a secretive point of view that is not fully revealed until halfway through the telling. How does the narrator’s
point of view make a significant impact on your understanding of the story in these two ways: 1) as you were reading the
story in class, and 2) now that the story is over and the narrator is revealed.
10. This story is all about the reader’s perception. How did your own reading skills and perceptive abilities affect your
understanding of the plot, the characters and their relationship? What role did close reading and putting together context
clues play in your experience of the story?
11. Situational irony is when the reader expects one thing to be true, but finds another thing to be the case. What role
did situational irony play in this story?