Question
Read paragraphs 4 and 5. Which portion of the text develops that idea that Esther had to make a choice between love and her own culture?
(4) My old childhood playmate had vanished years ago. He was a tall, slender young man now, handsome as a young chief, but with laughing blue eyes, and always those yellow curls about his temples. He was my solace in my half-exile, my comrade, my brother, until one night it was, "Esther, Esther, can't I make you happy?"
(5) I did not answer him; only looked out across the plains and thought of the tepees. He came close, close. He locked his arms about me, and with my face pressed up to his throat he stood silent. I felt the blood from my heart sweep to my very finger-tips. I loved him. O God, how I loved him! In a wild, blind instant it all came, just because he held me so and was whispering brokenly, "Don't leave me, don't leave me, Esther; my Esther, my child-love, my playmate, my girl-comrade, my little Cree3 sweetheart, will you go away to your people, or stay, stay for me, for my arms, as I have you now?"
(4) My old childhood playmate had vanished years ago. He was a tall, slender young man now, handsome as a young chief, but with laughing blue eyes, and always those yellow curls about his temples. He was my solace in my half-exile, my comrade, my brother, until one night it was, "Esther, Esther, can't I make you happy?"
(5) I did not answer him; only looked out across the plains and thought of the tepees. He came close, close. He locked his arms about me, and with my face pressed up to his throat he stood silent. I felt the blood from my heart sweep to my very finger-tips. I loved him. O God, how I loved him! In a wild, blind instant it all came, just because he held me so and was whispering brokenly, "Don't leave me, don't leave me, Esther; my Esther, my child-love, my playmate, my girl-comrade, my little Cree3 sweetheart, will you go away to your people, or stay, stay for me, for my arms, as I have you now?"
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The idea that Esther had to make a choice between love and her own culture is developed in paragraph 5. In this paragraph, Esther experiences intense feelings for the young man who was once her childhood playmate. The tension in her emotions is highlighted when he begs her not to leave, posing the dilemma: "will you go away to your people, or stay, stay for me." This clearly illustrates the conflict she faces—between her deep love for him and the potential separation from her cultural heritage and community. The imagery of her looking out across the plains and thinking of the tepees symbolizes her connection to her culture and the choice she must make between two significant parts of her life.