"Sugar rationing would begin Tuesday. She folded the paper in half but was careful not to let the ink darken her gloves. At Lundy's Hardware she stopped and looked at the display of victory garden shovels in the window". I know this is a long quote, but I thought all of it was necessary for the best historical context. When you read the sugar rationing section, you know this is a time of hardship. However, sugar rationing has been used all over the world during several crisis', not just during times of war. The glove statement gives a vague time period: 1950's era and earlier. However, it is the victory garden section of the quote that gives the most detailed context: America, early 1940's, World War II effort to support the troops and promote sustainable living. I think this quote gives a host of information on the characters in the story because we can understand their living and social situation by sifting though the layers of text.
"'That's a nice red dress', he called out after her. She stopped and squinted at him over the top of her glasses. 'Thank you,' she said. 'Thank you, Joe.'
Let me start by saying that I didn't include all the background story here, but this business owner during a time of hard ship did NOT ask this lady to pay, and commented on her clothes. The color of her dress could be symbolic: red generally stands for lust or sexuality (ex: The Scarlett Letter). The author could have made her dress any color, but because it was mentioned in this already tense scene, the red could be a foreshadowing of a future relationship with this man. It is also notable that she called the store owner by his first name, a bold statement for the time period.
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