Lesson 3
Rope
By
Katherne Anne Porter
1. Author: Katherine Anne Porter
2.Text Analysis
3.Language Points
4.Key to the Exercises
5. After-class Assignment
The End
Katherine Anne Porter
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Born: 15 May 1890
Birthplace: Indian Creek, Texas
Died: 18 September 1980
Best Known As: Short story
writer and the author of Ship
of Fools
• Katherine Anne Porter (1890 - 1980) is a US shortstory writer and novelist. Her short stories collected
in Flowering Judas (1930), Pale Horse, Pale
Rider (1939), and The Leaning Tower (1944) won
her a critical reputation as a stylist who handled
complex subjects with economy while subtly
penetrating the psychology of her characters. Her
only novel, Ship of Fools (1962), is set on a
passenger boat travelling from Mexico to
Bremerhaven in 1931. It is an exploration of the
German mind in the 1930s, and an allegory of the
relationship of good to evil, and the voyage of life
towards eternity.
• Porter was a master stylist, whose long short stories
have a richness of texture and complexity of
character delineation usually achieved only in the
novel.
• Katherine Anne Porter was an American shortstory writer who had her greatest success with
her only novel, the allegorical epic Ship of Fools
(1962). Raised by her grandmother in Texas and
Louisiana, Porter's young life was famously
colorful and included three failed marriages,
travels in Europe and Mexico and a stint as a
journalist. Her first collection of short stories,
Flowering Judas, was published in 1930 and
launched her career as a well-regarded
practioner of the form. Her other acclaimed
collections include Pale Horse, Pale Rider (1939)
and 1965's The Collected Stories of Katherine
Anne Porter (winner of the National Book Award).
A woman’s sexuality and social position is a strong theme found
in many of Katherine Anne Porter’s stories. Porter’s Short
Story Collections, reveal narratives of women caught in
challenging situations that must become strong and realize
the afflictions and adversities in their lives. For years
Katherine Anne Porter has successfully paralleled the lives of
everyday women with her main characters found in many of
her stories. In her short story the "Rope," Porter considers a
torn relationship where a couple is caught in an unhappy
marriage and in a sense is hanging on by a “rope.” Through
the use of characterization, Porter effectively illustrates an
unhappy situation between a married couple with the use of
words and the characters’ interactions. In this short story, a
long piece of twine symbolizes not only the never ending
duration of a married couple, but also the interminable ring of
devotion that they must aspire to honor.
Text Analysis
A Brief Interpretation of the Text
• Rope is an exemplary specimen of Porter's
stories which can be simple in form but profound
in meaning and extremely unique in style. The
story is about a quarrel between a husband and
wife over something that is very trivial — a piece
of rope. The author goes into great details
describing the conversation between the couple,
developing from unpleasantness to bitterness and
finally, turning into seemingly peaceful
matrimonial harmony.
• It would be wrong, however, if we look at the husbandwife altercation simply as it is, since the family clash is
closely related to the social and economical
environment. America in the late 20s and early 30s
was undergoing a period of depression and general
poverty. Economic difficulty at the time affected most
of the families, and it serves as the background of the
strife accounted in Rope. The couple described in the
story move to the country as an escape from the
difficulty in the industrial and commercial surroundings,
and pressure they have been having in the city.
However, the pressure is still and always present
since no one can disassociate himself from the
general environment of society and economy. The
fight between the couple is exactly the result of such
anxiety and pressure.
• There are a few things Porter achieves great
excellence in her story-telling, as shown in
the present text. One detail is the method of
indirect quotation the writer insists on using.
Porter never quotes directly the conversation
between the couple, which makes the major
part of the story. Such treatment is not simply
to achieve a sense of uniqueness, but it aims
at making the whole story like an authentic
account or report. We can find traces of
naturalism caught in the transition from
traditionalism and the budding modernism.
• Another interesting and also important detail is
the sudden switch of the attitude of the wife
from acrimoniousness to a compromising
understanding. It seems to be unexpected, but
still understandable. Without the switch we can
even say the story would not be much better
than a piece of neighborhood gossip.
• Yet even though the couple makes peace with
each other at the end of the story, we can still
sense the shadow hanging over them.
• The names of the husband and the wife have
never been provided in Rope. This makes us
feel that such occurrences happen everywhere,
all the time, and to everyone.
Additional Notes to the Text
• 1. smock (para 1) — a loose coatlike garment, often worn to
protect the clothes while working
• 2. tumbled (para 1) — tumble: to roll end over end, unkempt
• 3. a born country -woman (para 1) — a woman in countryside
by birth
• 4. assured (para 1) — assure: to inform confidently
• 5. he would if it killed him (para 3) — he would be willing to go
back to the shops in the town even if the hardship and trouble
of walking back would kill him
• 6. it might do to hang clothes on (para 3) — the rope might be
used to hang clothes on.
• 7. a blot (para 3) — something that spoils or mars, esp. by
providing an unpleasant contrast
• 8. might come in handy for (para 4) — could be useful in some
way
• 9. but nothing occurred (para 4) — but nothing came into his
mind
• 10. odds and ends (para 4) — miscellaneous items or
remnants
• 11. every penny counted (para 4) — every single penny was
important to them
• 12. and that was all there was to it (para 5) — that was the
only why he bought the rope
• 13. come in (para 5) — come into her mind; become aware of
• 14. things always did (para 5) — things will be helpful one day
• 15. they're all running (para 6) — the eggs were all broken
• 16. If they got broke it was the grocer's fault (para 6) —
• broke: normally broken, but note here the colloquial usage
• the grocer's fault: the grocer sold him some eggs that already
were broken
• 17. plainly (para 7) — here: clearly
• 18. witness (para 7) — to act as witness of; to
bear witness; to be or give evidence; to testify
• 19. what was the use of her having eyes if that
was the best they could do for her (para 7) —
if she could not even see that ^ 3s fact, what
did she have eyes for
• 20. meat wouldn't keep (para 8)—meat would
go rotten
• 21. choked (para 9) — choke: to suffocate, to stop breathing.
• Here: she just could not stand the idea of having to eat
warmed-over meat.
• 22. scraps (para 9) — sections or pieces
• 23. when they were playful (para 9) — when they were in good
mood and frolic
• 24. arched and purred ... hissed and clawed (para 9)—These
verbs are usually associated with what a cat does. A cat | 40
would arch and purr when happy and hiss and claw when angry.
Here the verbs indicate the closeness and playfulness |
between the couple.
• 25. He swallowed the words red hot (para 10) — He
suppressed what he was about to utter with difficulty.
• 26. clutter (para 10) — things scattered in disorder; jumble
• 27. window sashes (para 11) — the sliding sections of windows
• 28. He wanted to know what of it? (para 14) —
He wanted to know what was wrong with the
seven rooms.
• 29. to heckle and tyrannize over (para 14) — to
badger persistently and to rule over like a tyrant
• 30. decently (para 15) — decent: meeting
accepted standards
• 31. forlorn (para 15) — bereft
• 32. racket (para 15) — an uproar or din
• 33. clear out (para 16) — [colloq. ] go away; depart
• 34. for the life of her (para 16) — for the life of me:
[colloq. ] even though my life were at stake on it; by
any means (used in negative expressions)
• 35. It was a swell time . (para 16) — swell: [slang]
first-rate
• 36. stuck (para 16) — trapped [here: in the
countryside]
• 37. got things straightened out (para 16) — put
everything in order, sorted everything out
• 38. It was his usual trick (para 16) — the wife here is
accusing the husband of being habitually deceptive
shunning his household responsibilities
• 39. touch (para 17) — Here: a very small amount,
degree, etc.; such as, 1) a trace, tinge, etc. ,e. g. a
touch of humor; 2) a slight attack, e.g. a touch of the
flu
• 40. Oh, he could tell that to his great-grandmother.
(para 18) — grandmother or here, great-grandmother
is usually a stereotypical figure who is susceptible to
lies or mischief, someone who is too old and goodhearted to tell the truth from falsehoods
• 41. notion (para 18) — understanding
• 42. more than a notion (para 18) — in other words,
she believed that it was a fact
• 43. to bring all the things up again (para 18) — to
bring ail that into the conversation again
• 44. he had simply got hooked in (para 18) — he could
no longer disentangle himself from her nagging about
this
• 45. raving (para 19) — rave: to speak irrationally or
wildly
• 46. stuck in his craw (para 19) — to stick in the (or
someone's) craw: to be unacceptable or displeasing to
someone
• 47. to drop the subject (para 20) — to leave the topic
unfinished. Here it indicates that she simply wanted to
stop quarreling.
• 48. milk of magnesia (para 20) — a liquid suspension
of magnesium hydroxide used as a laxative and
antacid
• 49. sweltering (para 21) — swelter: to be or Teel
uncomfortably hot; sweat, feel weak, etc. from great
heat
• 50. if only she could wait a minute for anything (para
21) — The husband here is indicating that he was
tired and wanted to rest first for a while.
• 51. melancholic (para 22) — someone who is
susceptible to anxiety, pessimism, depression, etc.
• 52. this was only for a few days (para 22) — the
difficulty they had been having would not last long
• 53. toppled off (para 22) — topple: to fall, to overturn
• 54. Sometimes it seemed to her he had second sight about
the precisely perfect moment to leave her ditched. (para
23) — The wife here was being sarcastic in accusing the
husband of having the habit of leaving her alone to deal with
difficult situations.
• 55. The habit was making a wreck of her (para 24) — wreck:
one in a disabled or ruined state the habit: being addictively
a coffee drinker.
• The sentence: being an addictive coffee drinker was ruining
her.
• 56. an easy conscience (para 24) — easy: (here) free from
trouble, anxiety, pain, etc.
• 57. let the house ride them to death (para 25) — Porter here
is pointing out the dilemma of alienation in which the couple
was caught. The couple, being me owner of the house, could
not help being under the manipulation of the burdens of
housework, thus making the house to become their master in
turn.
• 58. housework was no more her work than it was his (para
25) — housework should be shared between them
• 59. get straight on this question (para 26) — to
have a clear-cut and straightforward solution to
the problem
• 60. uproarious joke (para 28)—a joke causing
laughter
• 61. wrenched away (para 29) — wrench: to twist
or turn, especially violently
• 62. She could work herself into a fury about
simply nothing (para 31) — She could carry on
and become more and more angry over
trivialities.
• 63- humoring her (para 31) — humor: (here) to
comply with the bad mood or whim of (another);
indulge
64. What earthly right had she to say anything about
it? (para 31) — earthly: human; worldly. Since
she was a human as he was, how could she be
dictating about what to do with it at all?
65. He'd heard enough about it to last him a life-time,
(para 31) —The husband wanted to hide the
rope from the wife’s sight since he had had
enough of her nagging.
66. on end (para 32) — to be upright and orderly
67. He stopped short, (para 34) — He stopped
suddenly an abruptly.
68. jostled (para 35) — pushed (here indicating thewife's tentative attempt to be intimate)
69. wary (para 35) — careful; cautious.
Key to the Exercises
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III. Reading
1. b
2. c
6. a
7. c
11. b 12. a
3. d
8. d
13. a
4. b
5. b
9. d
10. c
14.b
• VI Comprehensive Exercises
• A. When Wang Bo wrote "Ode to Teng Wang Pavilion", he was only
fourteen. Though Wang Bo was present on the occasion. Governor Yan
did not believe in his genius. He had intended his son-in-law Royal
Scholar Meng to write the ode for he had already made preparations to
do it. Governor Yan had paper and brush passed around and invited
each guest in turn to write. When it came with to Wang Bo, he did not
decline: much to the indignation of the governor. Flicking his sleeves,
he rose to go but ordered his men to see what Wang Bo would write.
• The first messenger came with the lines "The ancient provincial capital
of Nanchang is the new government seat of Hongdu."
• "Nothing but a platitude!" remarked Governor Yan.
• When the second messenger came inform him of the lines "In the sky it
divides the stars of Yi and Zheng, while on the earth it is located at her
juncture where Mount Lu and Mount Heng meet. " The governor made
no comment but became thoughtful. Then came the messenger with
the lines "The lonely ducks fly in the glow of sunset, the autumn water
and the vast sky blend into the same color." The governor rose from
his seat in great surprise and said. "He's a real genius. His fame will
endure forever. " So saying he hastened to invite Wang Bo to a feast at
his home. They had a thoroughly enjoyable time at the feast.
• From Anecdotes from Tang Dynasty
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B. 1. __ in (on)
2. __ foot (feet)
3. __ few (little)
4. __ with (for)
5. __ should (can)
6. ∨
7. __probably (possible) 8. __outside (outdoor)
9. ∨
10. ∧ A ∧ (few)
11. ∨
12. ∨
13. /still
14. ∨
15. __with (in)
16. ∨
17. __ product (produce) 18. ∨/
19. __ of (a)
20. ∨
21. ∧ In ∧ (the) 1960s 22. __ yellow (yellows)
23. ∨
C. 1. a
2. d
3. d
4. b
5. c
6. c
7. b
8. c
9. b
10. a
11. b 12. d
13. c
14. a
15. d
16. b 17. c
18. b
19. a
20. c
After-class Assignment
1.Writing: write a narrative in which the
mechanism of displacement s used about
an incident which reveals that something
valuable from the past has been lost with
changing times.
2. Passage translation: see Exercise VI(A).
on page 78 of the textbook.
Thanks for Your Attention!