The legacy by Virginia Woolf

When a wife dies and leaves her husband her diary, all is possible. In Gilbert Clandon's case, the legacy his wife
leaves him is much more than he could ever have imagined.

Virginia Woolf signs an exceptional short story which questions the foundations of marriage, people's need for
communication by any means possible and their inclusion in a mutually beneficial partnership. When one reneges
on that contract, the other will seek new outlets to grow, as personal development in any marriage is inevitable. If
that development is undertaken without any consideration for one's spouse, then problems will inevitably ensue.

The Legacy is a straightforward tale of love, loneliness, secrets, independence and sorrow that should make
readers wonder about the state of their intimate relationships. Interspersed with clues that lead to the
overwhelming conclusion, this story places readers in almost the same shoes as its main character, Gilbert
Clandon, and like voyeurs, they peek over his shoulder as he's reading his wife's fifteen volumes of private

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scribblings to see what this successful politician's wife has to say about her life and death.

Virginia Woolf – The Legacy

Life
●

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1882-1941, English
● one of the most influential Modernist writers
● one of the first to experiment with stream-of-consciousness technique
● her works are hailed as feminist works
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● suffered from depression, mental breakdowns, psychotic episodes (now experts say she suffered from
bipolar disorder), attempting suicide a number of times before succeeding in 1941 (she placed stones in the
pockets of her overcoat and drowned in a river near her Sussex home)
● most famous for To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, Orlando, The Waves, and the non-fiction book on the
disempowerment of women over time A Room of One’s Own
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Setting
● 6 weeks after Angela’s death
● in Angela’s drawing room
● London (reference to Whitechapel, Piccadilly, Tower of London, the East End)
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● modern age (reference to cars)

● setting inside the setting: diary places a story inside the story, creating a flashback (place = same; time
changes)

Plot


● Angela Clandon stepped off the curb in Piccadilly and was killed by a car 6 weeks prior to the beginning of
the story
● her husband, Gilbert Clandon, is waiting for Angela’s secretary, Sissy Miller, to give her a pearl brooch
Angela left for her (among other things she left to various people)
● to him, she has left what he calls “nothing in particular”, her green leather-bound diary (15 volumes)
● Sissy arrives and after giving her the brooch he asks if there’s any way he can help her in future
● she offers her help if he needs it at any time with a meaningful look in her eyes which he takes to mean she
has a secret passion for him
● Gilbert reads his wife’s diary
○ volume 1:

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a) she’s proud to be his wife

b) 1st year he was running for Parliament: she’d toured his constituency with him, was overcome by the applause
he received

c) trip to Venice: went on holiday after his election; ate ices at Florians; she was eager to learn because according
to Gilbert she was “still such a child” and according to Angela “terribly ignorant”, which Gilbert says was one of her
charms
○ volume 2
○ back in London: she was anxious to make a good impression on important men
■ Gilbert remembers her “making a conquest” of his chief, Sir Edward
■ dinner at the House of Commons
■ evening party at the Lovegroves: Lady Lovegrove asks her if she realizes the responsibility

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she has as Gilbert’s wife
○ later volumes:
■ Gilbert = more absorbed in his work, has a minor post in government
■ she = more alone, no children, is sure Gilbert will become Prime Minister one day
■ she begins to work in the East End after plucking up the courage to ask for Gilbert’s
permission
■ he can’t understand why she would want to work there since she has her hands full

.C taking care of him and the house

■ she wants to help there because she feels useless, idle
■ he hated clothes she wore to Whitechapel every Wednesday
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○ appearance of the letters B.M.
■ Gilbert first supposes it’s a woman; then doesn’t feel threatened even when he sees initials
refer to a man
■ Angela tries to convince B.M. he’s wrong about the upper class; calls him narrow-minded
■ she invites him to dinner; he shakes hands with Minnie the parlormaid (Gilbert scoffs at this)
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■ they both go on outings together (Tower of London) + discuss politics, society, etc.
■ B.M. talks badly of Gilbert (Angela has scratched the name out of her diary): this is the point
where the relationship changes from platonic to more personal; he tells her about his
childhood
■ gives her Marx to read
FI

■ comes to dinner at the Clandon’s: “Luckily, I was alone.” (that night, Gilbert was giving a
speech at the Mansion House dinner)
○ volume 15 (last volume)
■ at dinner B.M. presses her to make a decision: “He threatened that if I did not …”, rest of
diary page covered with “Egypt” (we assume he asked her to elope)


■ Angela writes him a letter, which goes unanswered

■ “He has done what he threatened.”
■ “Have I the courage to do it too?”
■ Gilbert understands she killed herself (“He could see her in front of him.”)
■ Gilbert calls Sissy Miller: she tells him B.M. was her brother, asks if she can explain
anything

Characters
● Angela Clandon
○ thinks of everyone and everything (left her affairs in order before committing suicide, marked what
she wanted people to have)
○ she was “a genius for sympathy”

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 ○ loved beautiful things that came with status + living in luxury: had rings, necklaces, brooches
○ had a passion for little boxes: could imply she was a person who kept secrets
○ enjoyed having a distinguished husband
○ adored Gilbert at first
○ naïve according to Gilbert
○ innocent, shy, docile, submissive: blushes to ask her husband’s permission to volunteer to help
others
○ trapped in an upper class milieu that hides the real world from her: she despises herself for living in
such luxury when she hears how B.M.”s mother worked as a charwoman
○ changes as a character
■ becomes resolute, mistress of her own fate
■ draws away from Gilbert’s ‘education’ and learns about the world from B.M.
■ from devoted wife to assumed adulteress

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○ her suicide is for her an act of bravery and resolve

● Gilbert Clandon
○ politician
○ over 50 yrs old, distinguished-looking
○ has over-inflated ego / is self-centered:
■ is only interested in reading about himself, skips parts where he’s not mentioned

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■ his mind wanders to his future as he’s reading his dead wife’s diary
■ only remembers what he has said and done: can’t remember what the house looked like the
night Angela had had B.M. over for dinner, whether she had waited up for him, if the chairs
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had been drawn close together
■ thinks Sissy is secretly in love with him
○ doesn’t realize what’s gone on around him for years
○ doesn’t regret not having had children: believes his life has been full
○ still hopes to become important politically (Prime Minister even)
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○ demeans his wife (infantilizes her):

■ believes Angela’s life is made up of trifles
■ views her as naïve, a child, ignorant, feeble-minded
■ describes her handwriting as “schoolgirl hand”
○ controlling:
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■ wants to see what she was writing in her diary; she should ask for permission to volunteer in
the East End
■ “If only she had discussed the matter with him, instead of puzzling her poor little head about
questions that were much too difficult for her to understand!”
○ the ultimate snob:


■ tells Sissy he hopes she has “other clothes upon which a pearl brooch would not look quite
so incongruous.”
■ “There were thousands of Sissy Millers – drab little women in black carrying attaché cases.”
■ calls B.M. a “specimen”, formulates a tidy opinion of him without even knowing him
■ hated the clothes Angela wore to go to Whitechapel
■ sarcastically notes that B.M. “it seemed, wasn’t used to parlourmaids”
■ concludes B.M. had “never done an honest day’s work in his life”
■ when he calls Sissy, he notes the “cheap clock ticking on her mantelpiece”
○ does he change?
■ the story ends with his epiphany, but will he change his ways because of what he has read?

● Sissy Miller
○ Angela’s devoted secretary for many years: “Angela had been much more to her than an employer.”

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 ○ shared a special relationship with Angela: she left Sissy a pearl brooch with inscription “For Sissy
Miller, with my love.” (see Symbolism section below)
○ she is the “soul of discretion; so silent; so trustworthy, one could tell her anything…”
○ she was in tears over Angela’s death
○ sister to B.M.

● B.M.
○ Sissy’s brother
○ Angela’s lover
○ working class radical / Socialist / revolutionary: hates the upper class but is open-minded enough to
fall in love with someone belonging to the upper class
○ opens Angela’s eyes to the world + the plight of the working class

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○ mother was a charwoman: story of his childhood makes Angela sick of her way of life
○ commits suicide because Angela won’t leave Gilbert to go off with him (we assume he has asked
her to flee to Egypt with him)

Point of view
● third person limited
○ use of “he”
.C
○ we see Gilbert’s thoughts
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○ stream-of-consciousness technique used to divulge emotions and dialogue:
■ “It was like Angela to have remembered even Sissy Miller …”
■ “He knew, he said, that she would value it. His wife had often worn it. . .. And she replied, as
she took it almost as if she too had prepared a speech, that it would always be a treasured
possession. . .. She had, he supposed, other clothes upon which a pearl brooch would not
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look quite so incongruous. She was wearing the little black coat and skirt that seemed the
uniform of her profession. Then he remembered-she was in mourning, of course. She, too,
had had her tragedy-a brother, to who m she was devoted, had died only a week or two
before Angela. In some accident was it? He could not remember-only Angela telling him.”
■ last part of her diary is all narrated using stream-of-consciousness
FI

● 1st person
○ diary presents this narrative mode
■ what we have is first person narration from Angela’s point of view interpolated with
comments from Gilbert narrated in third person
■ it almost seems as if he’s telling the story in 1st person if it hadn’t been for the words “he” and


“Gilbert”
● Woolf lets readers simultaneously see things through his mind + through the diary how different his wife
becomes

Angela-Gilbert relationship
● parallel created between deterioration of their marriage and
○ Gilbert’s increasing self-absorption
○ Angela’s need for companionship + food for thought (since Gilbert doesn’t have time to show her
the world, she is receptive to someone else’s guidance)
● story superposed by diary shows development of both characters
○ Gilbert’s statements of certainty become infinite questions
○ Angela’s openness + candor become secrets (i.e. she gains her independence/own space)

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 ● Woolf’s criticism:
○ men & women enter marriage on uneven level (men are required to know more; women are
ornaments) which creates tensions when women strive to learn or express their thoughts
○ men & women generally enter marriage not truly knowing each other; marriage = contract/marriage
of convenience

Tone
● ironic
○ situational irony:
■ readers are told of Angela’s accidental death ⇒ they realize she committed suicide

■ readers + Gilbert see Angela’s admiration at the start of her diary entries ⇒ she died to
escape him

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○ dramatic irony:
■ readers can see where Angela’s relationship with B.M. is headed, but Gilbert doesn’t: it’s
ironic that the man he detests and writes off turns out to be the one Angela died for

Suspense
● created by the story inside the story (diary within the story itself)

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○ readers experience thrill of
■ slowly seeing the tale unfold before them (as with any story read for the first time)
■ seeing Gilbert realize the truth about his wife’s affair and death
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○ time switch: diary creates a flashback = readers have to wait until the end when the story switches
to the present to join the pieces together
● quick pace adds to suspense
○ Gilbert jumps from one volume to the next: insignificant details are left out in this way, Woolf cuts to
the chase/gets to the juicy bits
● implied versus explicit details given to increase reader’s anticipation
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○ initials “B.M.”
○ bits that have been scratched out or scored over
■ we assume the scratched out name was Gilbert’s
■ “Egypt” written on a page leaves readers with yet another implied clue
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Themes
● marriage


○ marriage of convenience: political image for Gilbert, better social status for Angela
○ development of spouses means after years you don’t know who the other person is
○ idea of partnership:
■ at the start of the marriage, Gilbert + Angela were partners who ‘helped’ one another create
a good image (each reached their goal ⇒ Gilbert had a lovely wife he could show off to his
constituents and colleagues; Angela had all the fine dresses, jewellery, trips a woman of her

social class could want and dazzled Gilbert’s colleagues, e.g. old Sir Edward)
■ Angela withdrew from the partnership once she saw Gilbert do so as well
■ he reneges on his duty to father children
■ he goes to dinners on his own
○ Angela therefore turns to social work + partners up with B.M.
○ conclusion: marriage as a partnership is based on implicit or explicit mutual understanding that both
parties share experiences

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 ■ when Angela can’t share, she has her diary to turn to
● writing
○ implies loneliness: Angela has no one to share her innermost thoughts with so turns to writing
○ means of escape & companionship
○ means of putting one’s thoughts in order by formulating words to express them
○ means of baring one’s soul to oneself: the importance of the mirror
■ diary acts as a reflection of herself: it’s as if she is reading her mind when she records
memories that will be re-read by her (and eventually someone else if she decides to share
her diary)
■ diary as a mirror shows a person’s need to see who they are (when you gaze at yourself in
the mirror, it’s to see how you look so you can make minor adjustments)
■ the keeping of a diary made Angela turn within herself, see who she was and make
adjustments

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● suicide
○ courageous act in Angela’s eyes: “Have I the courage to do it too?”
○ is suicide a victory or defeat for Angela?
■ victory =
■ she escapes Gilbert
■ her suicide is a statement about what she thinks of being a successful man’s wife,

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living a privileged life, having beautiful dresses, accessories, meals, influential
acquaintances
■ has done sth without asking Gilbert about it first
■ the act itself is an affirmation of her independence
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○ defeat =
■ she dies: she doesn’t gain anything
■ she took the coward’s way out
■ she doesn’t stand up to Gilbert and society, but escapes it
■ she doesn’t want to risk staying alone/ doesn’t believe she will eventually meet
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someone else and fall in love again

■ she might not feel herself worthy of being loved by someone else
○ B.M.’s suicide
■ too melodramatic: a revolutionary like him would keep on fighting, strive to bring about
change
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■ the courageous thing would be to stick to the plan of convincing Angela to leave her
husband
■ how could he leave Angela behind with the weight of his suicide on her conscience?
■ his suicide can only be seen as a defeat for him (based on the character clues we have of


him = the fighter gives in)

Symbolism
● pearl brooch
○ in the 18th – 19th centuries:
■ the Georgians and Victorians were intrigued by the concept of mortality and the after-life
■ mourning brooches were first worn to express bereavement
■ later sweetheart brooches were given to loved ones as keepsakes + symbols of affection
○ the significance of pearls:
■ pearls take many years to form and, like Angela’s “passion for little boxes”, develop in time in
a small protective, shelled environment
■ being difficult to find, they were highly valued
■ they symbolize wisdom gained from experience, purity, integrity, loyalty

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 ● diary
○ the printed word when no words are able to be said = it is a legacy
■ has the utmost value since it is bequeathed to someone; shows deceased’s feelings
regarding the heir
○ diary = truth = freedom
■ Angela’s only means of expressing her thoughts were through the diary
■ it was the only thing she kept from Gilbert (the only reason they quarrelled, as Gilbert noted)
meaning it was the only thing Gilbert couldn’t control
■ what she wrote in the diary was the truth of her existence
■ she was free to write whatever she wanted
● in the end, by giving the diary to Gilbert she allowed him to see her for what she really was
● alternative interpretation: diary is not vindictive
○ it’s a way for Angela to share with Gilbert again ⇒ she is able to connect with him now, sth

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impossible when she was alive (see above: theme of marriage)
○ though there is an element of bitterness implied in it, it is Angela’s most prized possession where
she kept her innermost thoughts and feelings: the fact that she left it to Gilbert and not Sissy Miller
says sth
○ her diary is there to help make Gilbert a better man: Angela is opening Gilbert’s eyes to his

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narcissism, giving him the chance to see his faults and correct them
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Title
● word “legacy” mentioned twice in the story: paragraph 3 & last paragraph
○ creates a neat connection between beginning and end which reflects Angela’s desire for order (how
she labelled all the tokens she had left for those she cared about)
○ the word is directly linked to the diary (focal point of the short story)
LA

■ “To him, of course, she had left nothing in particular, unless it were her diary… So she had
left it him, as her legacy.”
■ “He had received his legacy. She had told him the truth. ”
● what truths are legated to Gilbert?
○ Angela hadn’t shared everything with him as he believed
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○ Angela wasn’t so “terribly ignorant”

○ her eagerness to learn was what drew her to B.M. once Gilbert stopped paying attention to her and
spent more time worrying about his political career (so the affair was Gilbert’s fault in part)
○ Angela’s “trifles” were an affair (where he came out the cuckold)
○ Angela found the lower-class people of Whitechapel more worthy of attention, care and respect than


Gilbert, their marriage, their home (i.e. Gilbert wasn’t the most important thing to her; the lower class
managed to get the better of him)
○ what started out as adoration for her husband, ends with her terminating her life for another man
○ a man who seemed so beneath him managed to be so alluring that Angela willingly gave up her life
to be with him
○ Angela’s great love was B.M. & she committed suicide to escape from living a life with Gilbert
(existence with him was so insufferable, she had to escape)

1) From whose point of view is the story told? What is the consequence of such a literary
technique
The storu is told from Gilbert´s point of view. We discover the truth about his marriage little by little,
while he is reading Angela´s diaries.

2) At what point in the story did you grasp the full significance of Gilbert Clandon's legacy? Were

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you quicker than Gilbert to understand what had happened?
Although we can guess that Angela and BM had an affair before Gilbert, we we really grasp the full
significance of Gilbert´s legacy at the very end of the short story: “He had received his legacy. She
had told him the truth. She had stepped off the kerb to rejoin her lover. She had stepped off the
kerb to escape from him.” (last words of the short story)

3) What puzzles Gilbert Clandon about the circumstances surrounding his wife's death?
He is puzzled by the fact that Angela had left a present for all the people that counted for her. For
example, Sissy miller got a brooch. He got Angela´s diaries.

4) What does Gilbert assume caused her death?

he assumes / supposes that she was not paying attention the traffic when started crossing a street
near picadilly in London. He supposes she was absent-minded, distracted.

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5) How does Gilbert initially account for Sissy Miller's extreme distress when she enters the room?
What does he later remember about her?
He thinks she is upset because Angela´s death meant that she had lost her job (she was Angela´s
secretary). He later remembers that Sissy had lost her brother about two weeks before Angela´s
death.

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6) Why does Gilbert feel that the brooch is a 'rather incongruous gift' for Sissy Miller?
- It would have been more useful to leave her some money as she has just lost her job as a
secretary.
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- The brooch doesn´t go with Sissy´s personality and style: she wears dark, professional,
modest clothes.

7) Why does Sissy Miller extend an offer to help Gilbert?

- “For his wife´s sake”:
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- Maybe because Angela would have liked Sissy to offer her help to Gilbert
- Mayble it is only compassion
- Maybe because she is looking for a new employment.
- Sissy foresees (= prédit) that Gilbert will need her help to find out more about B.M.
after reading Angela´s diaries.
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8) What does ''that first year' refer to? What was Gilbert trying to achieve then? Was he
successful?
- It the “first year” of their marriage and the beginnig of his political career during which Gilbert


got a minor post in Parliament.

9) Why did Gilbert particularly enjoy travelling with his wife, Angela?
- Gilbert enjoyed travelling with Angela because he says she was “eager to learn” and he
adds that she was “ignorant”. It shows that Gilbert feels superior to Angela (superiority
complex). That is very patronising.

10) What are Gilbert's career ambitions at age fifty?

- He wants to become Prime Minister one day.

11) Why did Angela Clandon want to do volunteer work in the East End of London? What was
Gilbert's response to her request?
- Because she was feeling useless and probably bored. Gilbert lets her do volunteer work but
he doesn´t like the fact that she dresses down like common people to go and do her
volunteer work. That is not the image he wants to have of his wife, the wife of an important

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politician.

12) What two political ideologies are contrasted in the story?

- Capitalism/Conservatism and communism.

13) How does Gilbert Clandon expect his wife to behave throughout their married life?
- He wants her to be the wife of an important politician. He doesn´t want her to be
independent, to exist by herself. He wants her her to exist through him and his social status.

14) How does Angela Clandon change during the course of their marriage?
- First, she seems to love him and be proud of him
- Then, she probably felt abandoned, neglected by her husband who was too busy to be with
her.

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- So, she started her volunteer job, met B.M. who showed her another side of men.

15) What is the relevance to the story's theme of the details Gilbert can and cannot remember
concerning the night of the Mansion House dinner?
He only remembers what he did (his speech) but he doesn´t remember what Angela did. He
realises that he has been self-centered, that he has taken his wife for granted.

the text.
.C
16) What is Gilbert's attitude toward the working class? Explain your answer with examples from

Gilbert is a rich man who believes in the upper class supremacy over poor people. He believes in
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the capitalistic system. As we can see when he gives his opinions about B.M, he despises
communism and liberalism: “one of those ‘intellectuals’ as they close themselves” or “Gilbert knew
the type and had no liking for this particular specimen”. He comes off as a narrow-minded person
who attributes his wrongs onto the working class, he’s a selfish and narcissistic man.
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17) What is the role of B. M. in the story?

He’s the embodiement of deep love, he takes risks to see her lover. “B.M came unexpectedly after
dinner” we see how strong is their passion. As we can see when he passes, Angela commits
suicide, we can see the effect he had on her. He’s a revolutionary and a tragic lover (=self
destructive love). As the journal goes on, we can see how much of an influence he had onto her,
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changing her mind.

18) How does Gilbert's limited point of view influence his perception of his wife, B. M., and Sissy
Miller? Give as many examples as possible.
From Gilbert’s point of view, he sees her as an ignorant object, he felt superior. He sees B.M as a


communist,but he doesn’t realize he has an affair with his wife. Sissi is simply his wife’s best friend.
He sees himself above them.

19) How much does Gilbert's understanding of the events change by the end of the story?
He found out about the true cause of her death: suicide by love’s grief, and not his love. She
suffered both emotionally, physically, and socially he saw her true colours.

20) Why is it ironic that Gilbert thinks of Sissy Miller as 'the soul of discretion; so silent; so
trustworthy, one could tell her anything, and so on.' What other examples of irony can you find that
arouse out of Gilbert's limited perceptions?
The irony is in the fact that that’s how she really is, she kept it to herself. When Sissy leaves, she
says “if by anytime there’s anything I could do to help you”. He thinks that she may have had a
passion for him. We suppose his legacy is her diary. He remembers her mourning her brother, but
actually it was her lover. “If only she had stopped for a moment, she would be alive now” which is

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ironic because of her true intentions.

21) Do you feel sympathetic towards Gilbert Clandon? Explain your answer.
On one hand, I do feel sympathethic, being cheated on is a painful thing. He’s taken his
relationships for granted “he had scarcely noticed her”.
It’s hard to keep sympatethic at the same time because of his sexist tendencies, he put work above
her and he put his well being above hers. He relates everything to his job, he says: “he has been
given a minor post on the governement” his job has always been present even though his wife
coped with grief. He thinks everything is about him, he thinks Sissy has affection for him and that’s
just a signal of how big his ego was.

22) In your view, should Angela Clandon have confessed to what was going on while she was still
alive?

OM
On the one hand, she didn’t know him as well, she would’ve lost her comfort and protection. Plus,
he could’ve gotten violent towards her, but that’s my point of view. On the other hand, she should
have confessed, she would be still alive, she would’ve gotten separated from her husband, and
could’ve kept on going with her life. She would’ve been happier with the man that belonged to her.
Besided, Gilbert’s grief would’ve been smaller, if he found out about the infidelity directly and,
without the obvious loss of her wife, the blow would’ve been softer for him.

.C
23) What do you think a typical day in Angela's life was like before she began her volunteer work?
Contrast this with a typical day in Gilbert's life.
Angela Gilbert
DD
- She used to be alone and lonely a lot
- She would give orders to the servants
- She used to take piano lesons in the
morning
- She used to read a lot. She used to love
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“Madame Bovary”
- She would sit on the couch, think about
life while having tea
- She would go to Chinatown once a
week to get new China boxes for her
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collection.
----
24) Why do you think Angela was so attached to B. M.?
He was the polar opposite of her husband: honest, considerate… He was a natural caretaker and a
mentor. He also brought new experiences in her lifestyle, which differed significantly from Angela’s.


It’s also important to remember that unlike Gilbert, he, could commit himself in the relationship,
giving away his time for her.
25) Do you think learning the truth about Angela and B. M. will affect Gilbert's future plans? Explain
your answer.
It will not since he only considered her as an object, the only part of him that’s suffered is his ego,
as far as everything else goes, it remains untouched. He’s still an ambitious character, even after
the death of his wife, he doesn’t lose focus.

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 English as a second language by Lucy Honig

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About the author:
- 1984-2017

.C
- Attended Syracuse University, received a BA in American Studies
- Graduated from Hunter College with a Master’s degree in Education
- Taught English as a second language in New York City, taught academic writing at the Boston University
School of Public Health
DD
About the story:
- Portrayed the struggle a Guatemalan immigrant, María, underwent to survive in a foreign society
- María lost her husband and two of five children in the Guatemalan genocide
- María escaped seeking refugee in the US
LA

- She became literate, worked and learned English to communicate

About the main theme:

- Topic: the strains of immigrants to communicate
- Themes: the adaptation to a new different culture; the construction of an intercultural identity; the
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overcoming of hardships; the immigrant experience; acculturation and exile

- Point of view: third person omniscient narrator; serious, sentimental but mocking tone, joyful, depressive,
tense atmosphere


About María:
- Guatemalan immigrant, widow, mother of 5 children
- enthusiast for education, unwilling to speak English
- lives in NYC, works as a chambermaid
- independent, hard working, stout, tough, sensible, traditional

About her children:

- Carmen: oldest daughter, in her 2nd year of Law school on a scholarship, pretty young woman with black
hair and big eyes, caring, supportive
- Giuliette: youngest daughter, attends State University
- Jorge: younger son, a junior in high school, arrogant and critical towards María

About the setting:

- between 1986-1989

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 - Is set in NYC: The Plaza hotel in Manhattan, the apartment in the Bronx, the subway, the auditorium in a
Community College

About the aim of the story:

- The story aims at showing the hardships immigrants experience and have to endure not only when they flee
their native countries and migrate but also after they arrive in the foreign country they move into. Some of them
adapt more quickly, just as Maria seems to have done, while others struggle hard, as Ling shows.
The story conveys a rather disapproving perspective of mainstream American culture, which is reflected in
María´s thoughts about TV shows and in people´s discriminatory attitudes towards migrants.

Other characters:
- Cheryl Sands: Maria’s ESL teacher, patient, considerate, expressive
- The Mayor: humorous, sarcastic, insensitive, disrespectful, talkative

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- Lyng: Chinese immigrant lives in NYC, María’s classmate, known as the “quiet one”, works in a sweatshop
and looks after her old and sick parents, experienced a terrible and shocking event back at her village.

III. Listening comprehension activity

You are going to watch and listen to Michael Malek who is giving a lecture about the cultural background of the
story, for English Literature students in Taiwan. While watching, take notes about the following and explain their

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significance in the story:
1) The GED test: big test, if you pass it’s the same as completing high school (necessary to get many jobs/ better
jobs)
2) The game show Family Feud (a fight between families) : she doesn’t understand it, she thinks the host touches
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and hugs the women in the show to much, it seemed okay because he was famous, this sort of shows are
considerate a special place and time, and people should not behave that way all the time
3) The shoes from 5th Avenue: on of the best known streets in NYC, very expensive homes and shops (high
quality), living there means you are rich
4) The mayor 's joke about Maria´s major: her mayor was killed because he disagreed with the government, the
LA

crowd laughed and the mayor told a joke about his opponents killing him, sometimes people make jokes in order to
cope with pain or when the truth is too painful/ too bad. The mayor is elected by the people, so he wants to look
friendly and like a good person, that’s why he is so happy for María (acted as a game show host)
5) The subway: a railroad system that connects many areas in NYC ( some above the streets, other under), María
rides the subway from the Bronx to the downtown area (business district), often crowded, you don’t talk to people
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that you don’t know

V. Reading comprehension activity

After reading the story, you are ready for answering these questions:


1. In the opening section of the story (lines 1-60), the reader is left to infer just who María is:
a. Where is María when the story opens? at her job
b. What does she do for a living? maid
c. Where is she from? guatemala
d. How many children does she have? 5, two dead
e. Where is her husband? dead

2. What, specifically, does María disapprove of in the way the TV game show hosts behave? How does her
reaction differ from her children's reaction to them? he touches and hugs the women on the show a lot, she doesn’t
understand the jokes

3. As María is putting on a new dress, she suddenly thinks of a violent event in her past. What triggers the
memory? What new information does the memory provide about her background? the scars that she has because
she ran over broken glass, she escaped with her 3 children

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4. When Maria and her daughter arrive at the award ceremony, they argue about the fact that Maria keeps
speaking in Spanish. By the end of this short dialogue Carmen murmurs, “That’s not the point.” (line 146). What
does she mean by this? What’s the point she is trying to make? i think that because they are in the US now they
should speak English, and María has studied a lot and her daughter thinks that she should practice speaking with
people.

5. What has Maria done to deserve the award? What is your view of the degree of her success?

6. When referring to Maria, the protagonist of this story, one of the reviewers states: “she has overcome poverty
and violence, she has yet to overcome the well-meaning condescension of her adoptive country.” What do you
think he means by this? In what instances do you think this “well-meaning condescension” is shown?

7. Maria’s story concludes with her memory of another student’s story.

OM
a. Why hadn't Ling talked all semester? What might explain her “sudden urgency” (line 371) to tell her story at the
end of the semester?
b. In the course of the story, what facts does Ling tell about her mathematics teacher in China? For example, what
subject had he studied in France? Why were the boys at the school in China jealous of him?
c. Why do you think “all the other students, men and women both, were crying too” (lines 488-489) when Ling
finished?

VI. Focus on language

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IDIOMS: In the story, there are references to some idiomatic expressions that are incorrect. Can you provide the
appropriate word to replace the ones in bold? Can you explain the meaning of these idioms?
DD
“Shaking the pantyhose out of the package, she remembered the phrase: the cow before the horse, wasn't that it?
She should have put these on first.” (lines 66-68) Idiomatic expression: to put/ have the cart before the horse

“She tried to remember the expression Cheryl had taught them. “I have worms in my stomach,” she said.” (lines
169-170) get/ have/ give butterflies in one’s stomach
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VII. Multi-word verbs

multi-word verbs meaning example

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give away to give something to someone “They don´t give it away because
because you do not want or need it you need it!”
for yourself

smooth out to make something such as paper “She slid sideways off the bed,


or cloth flat by moving your hands carefully smoothed out the quilted
across it spread…”

catch up to come from behind and reach “They ran and ran and ran and
someone in front of you by going somehow Jorge caught up and they
faster were found by their own side …”

go after to try to get something And still she was silent, until the
nurse at the border went after the
glass and drained the mess inside
her foot.”

squeeze into to try to make something fit into a “…Mari squeezed into the pink high
space that is too small, or to try to heels.”
get into such a space [= squash]

call out to say something loudly “They are all here now!” Cheryl

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 called out.

get along to have a friendly relationship “…the mayor did not go along –get
along- with the government so
good.”

burst into to suddenly begin to make a sound, “…posing for one camera after
especially to start singing, crying, or another as the audience burst into
laughing. wild applause.”

fall behind to go more slowly than other people “She said very little and the teacher
so that they gradually move further never forced her, but she fell further
ahead of you and further behind.”

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Sauce for the goose by Patricia Highsmith
About the author:
Patricia Highsmith (nacida como Mary Patricia Plangman, Fort Worth, Texas, 19 de enero de 1921-Locarno, Suiza, 4
de febrero de 1995) fue una novelista estadounidense famosa por sus obras de suspenso.12

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Sus padres, Jay Bernard Plangman y Mary Coates, se divorciaron antes de que naciera. Por eso, no conoció a su padre
hasta cumplir los doce años. Durante los primeros años de su vida, fue educada por su abuela materna, Willi Mae, en
Texas.3
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En 1924 su madre contrajo matrimonio con Stanley Highsmith, del que Patricia tomó el apellido.4 En 1927 se marchó a
vivir a Nueva York con ellos, donde trabajaban como diseñadores gráficos. Patricia mantuvo siempre una relación
complicada con ellos. Según confesaba, su madre intentó abortar bebiendo aguarrás, durante su embarazo.3 Highsmith
nunca superó esta relación de amor y odio con su madre. Tanto así que le inspiró para escribir "The Terrapin," en el
que un joven apuñala a su madre.5
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Fue una lectora voraz. Le interesaban temas relacionados con la culpa, la mentira y el crimen, que más adelante fueron
los temas centrales en su obra. A los ocho años descubrió el libro de Karl Menninger La mente humana y quedó
fascinada por los casos que describía de pacientes afligidos por enfermedades mentales. Los análisis de este autor
sobre las conductas anormales influyeron en su percepción de los personajes literarios. Tuvo una temprana vocación
por la escritura y en 1935 escribió su primer relato, que no se ha conservado. Empezó a escribir gruesos volúmenes
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desde los 16 años hasta su muerte con ideas sobre relatos y novelas, así como diarios. Todo este material se conserva
en los Archivos Literarios Suizos, en Berna.
Se graduó en 1942 en el Barnard College, donde estudió literatura inglesa, latín y griego.6 Mientras vivía en la ciudad
de Nueva York y México entre 1942 y 1948, antes de publicar sus primeros cuentos, Highsmith escribió para editoriales


de cómics.7 Comenzó en la editorial Ned Pines escribiendo dos historias de cómics al día por 55 dólares a la semana
para más tarde pasar a una etapa como autora independiente, situación que le permitió encontrar tiempo para trabajar
en sus propias historias cortas. El trabajo de guionista de cómics fue el único empleo a largo plazo que tuvo Highsmith.8
En 1943 empezó a trabajar para la editorial Fawcett haciendo sinopsis de cómics y en esa época descubre su
homosexualidad, tema que tratará más adelante cuando en 1952 aparezca bajo el pseudónimo de Claire Morgan su
novela El precio de la sal.9 Trata de la problemática historia de amor entre dos mujeres, con un final feliz insólito para la
época. Unas tres décadas después la reimprimió con el título de Carol y descubriendo que era ella la verdadera autora,
revelando en su epílogo las comprensibles razones del anonimato inicial. Finalizaba con estas palabras: «Me alegra
pensar que este libro le dio a miles de personas solitarias y asustadas algo en que apoyarse».
A los 22 años comenzó a escribir su primera novela The click of the shutting, nunca publicada.10 En 1945, tras una
breve estancia en México de cinco meses, surgieron los cuentos En la Plaza, escrito en Taxco, estado de Guerrero, y El
coche. Publicó su primer cuento a los 24 años en la revista Harper´s Bazaar. En 1950 publica su primera novela,
Extraños en un tren, por la que saltó a la fama un año después con la adaptación al cine de Alfred Hitchcock.
El pesimismo de sus historias, su exclusión de todo sentimentalismo y la crueldad materialista de sus análisis éticos
fueron mal acogidos en Estados Unidos, pero no en Europa, y como sus ideas políticas de sesgo comunista

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contrariaban al american way of life,11 abandonó el Nuevo Mundo y se trasladó para siempre a Europa en 1963. Residió
en East Anglia (Reino Unido) y en Francia, y sus últimos años los pasó en Tegna al oeste de Locarno (Suiza), donde
falleció.
Según cuenta su biografía, Beautiful Shadow, su vida personal era problemática, en parte por su alcoholismo; nunca
tuvo una relación sentimental que durase más que unos pocos años, ni siquiera con la también novelista Marijane
Meaker, y algunos de sus contemporáneos la tachaban de misantropía, en lo que hay algo de cierto.13 Prefería la
compañía de sus muchos gatos y caracoles y una vez dijo: «Mi imaginación funciona mucho mejor cuando no tengo
que hablar con la gente».14 También se la ha acusado de misoginia por sus Little Tales of Misogyny y de
antiamericanismo por sus Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes; lo cierto es que su fama de escritora morbosa
no la hizo especialmente vendible en los Estados Unidos. Highsmith encontraba frecuentemente inspiración en el arte,
en la psicología clínica y en el reino animal.
Escribió más de 30 libros entre novelas, ocho colecciones de cuentos, entre los que destacan los Little Tales of
Misogyny (Cuentos misóginos), Crímenes bestiales y los Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes (Catástrofes,

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1987), ensayos y otros textos, y dejó numeroso material inédito.
Characters

Olivia Loren Amory Stephen Castle

34

insensitive
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good liar, actress, clever/meticulous

if she didn’t take an idea at once,

45
naive, very in love with olivia, low
self-esteem
black-rimmed glasses
35
actor
not much money, no much work
lanky, rather stupid chap with oat-
DD
she never took it good husband, wealthy, good colored hair and a sickly smile
proud of had worked a saleswoman morals “behaved like an angel”
in a gift department store of a large work in the Stock Exchange liked gardening
store in manhattan not tall
liked to say that she could do things bachelor until 37, 11 years older
by herself than his wife Olivia. Sensible man
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wife of Loren, lover of Stephen. with receding hairline and a small

Told Loren that she wanted a
divorce.
Tells husband that she will not
contact Stephen for 3 month but is
lying. Contact Stephen every day.
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paunch. Been married to Olivia for 8
years.
Knows that Olivia is in love with
Stephen, made her promise to not
contact Stephen for 3 month. Is

Plays the love sick woman at home
while planning how to murder her
husband with Stephen every day.
Kills husband in cellar stairs, putting
a trap. Married 5 month later, in
killed by Olivia who had set up an
"accident".
Dies at home by falling down stairs
to the basement. Thought all the
time that his wife wanted to kill

August to Stephen. Went on a herself.

cruise with lover Stephen to The Ides of March: 15 march,
Trinidad according to the death of Julius
Caesar

Reading comprehension
1. Refer to the setting of the story: Where and when does the story take place?
Manhattan, NYC ,The Old Greenwich (Connecticut) Armory’s residence
Big house, lots of luxury, cellar(a place where you store things, sotano, where there was a freezer, all died there)
Terrace (where stephen almost pushed Olivia)

2. What was Loren’s initial hypothesis about Olivia’s near-accidents around the house?
What had happened between them that made him consider that hypothesis?
That she was depressed because of Stephen and that she tried to kill herself

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3. How did Olivia and Stephen meet? Describe the development of their relationship.
They met at a party from one of Loren’s work friends, they started talking and later started to meet him for lunch
and went to see a play he was in for 5 minutes in the first act. She invited him for a cocktail party then.

4. How did Loren die? What did Olivia tell the police about his death?
On Sunday afternoon Loren was looking over some office reports in his study when he heard a long scream,
followed by a clattering crash. In an instant he was on his feet and running. It had come from the cellar, he thought,
and if so, he knew what had happened. That damned carpet sweeper again! 'Olivia?' From the dark cellar he heard
a groan. Loren plunged down the steps. There was a little whirr of wheels, his feet flew up in front of him, and in
the few seconds before his head smashed against the cement floor he understood everything: Olivia had not \
fallen down the cellar steps, she had only lured him here; all this time she had been trying to kill him, Loren Armory
and all for Stephen Castle.
'I was upstairs in bed reading,' Olivia told the police, her hands shaking as she clutched her dressing gown around

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her. '1 heard a 132 Crime Never Pays terrible crash and then - I came down -' She gestured helplessly toward
Loren's dead body

5. Compare and contrast Loren and Olivia’s relationship and Stephen and Olivia’s
relationship.

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6. When did Olivia and Stephen become suspicious of each other? How did their relationship change after that?
They became suspicious of each other one night when stephen got a little bit drunk and tried to push olivia out of
the terrace, their relationship after that change completely, they didn’t trust each other at all
DD
7. Describe the deep freeze in detail, and refer to Stephen’s plan.
closet size room in the basement, has a door system which only has a handle on the outside, you have to open the
door with a lot of impulse so it gets lock with the wall, if there is something in the way of the door and the wall the
door shuts closed
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8. How and why did Stephen and Olivia die in the end? Did the ending surprise you?
Did you find it shocking or satisfying?

multi word verbs meaning example

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get at To be trying to say something in a What I’m getting at, darling, is that
way that is difficult for other people you want something to happen to
to understand you (p. 127)


take to To start to like someone or If Olivia didn’t take to an idea at

something once, she never took to it. (p. 127)

come off To be the most or least successful, Loren did not come off so well
or get the most or least advantages there, being no taller than Olivia…
from a situation (p. 128)

talk over To discuss a problem with someone She said she would see Stephen
before deciding what to do just once more – “to talk it over.”

fall off If the amount, rate, or quality of Her appetite fell off, though she did
something falls off, it decreases not lose much weight… (p. 129)

set about To start doing or dealing with … if he had felt so strongly about
something, especially something another woman, he would have set
that needs a lot of time and effort about promptly to extricate himself
from his marriage. (p. 130)

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 give out To produce something such as
light, heat, or a signal
…Stephen was walking up and
down in the deep freeze, giving out
distress signals at intervals of thirty
seconds in an effort to warm
himself. (p. 138)

keep up To continue doing something She kept it up for what

seemed like hours… (p. 140)

“I don’t put anything past you” (p. 135)

The original expression is “would not put it past someone to do something” (bad usually), and it means not being
surprised if they did something (bad) because you think their character is bad.

OM
Title
a. What does the phrase in the title mean? Why do you think the author chose this title for the story?
The original expression is “what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” and it is used to say that one
person or situation should be treated the same way that another person or situation is treated. It is also used to
emphasize that if one person is allowed to do something or to behave in a particular way, then another person

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must be allowed to do that thing or behave in that way, too.

b. Think of some other titles for the story and justify your choice
DD
1. There are various motives for murder in the story. Can you explain why Olivia arranged to kill Loren, why
Stephen planned to kill Olivia, and why Olivia wanted to kill Stephen?

2. When the two frozen bodies are eventually discovered in the deep freeze, the police are completely mystified.
Were they both accidental deaths? Was it one murder and one accident? A double murder? A suicide attempt?
LA

Was Loren Amory’s death perhaps not just a simple accident? Think of three different “theories” that the police
may develop to explain the deaths in the Amory household and develop each of them in detail.

3. Do you feel sympathy for anyone in the story? Why/Why not?

FI


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