James is writing a literary analysis essay on a short story, “The Looking-Glass” by Anton Chekhov. Read the introduction to his essay.

Question

Anton Chekhov's "The Looking-Glass" opens with Nellie, a young woman full of yearning to be married. Gazing into a mirror, she envisions a young man, “the destined one,” whom she will wed. He is no one in particular—just a vague and charming dream. However, the future Nellie then sees with him is strikingly real and terribly bleak. Through this young woman’s vision, Chekhov explores issues of happiness and hope when death is inescapable.

Which piece of textual evidence should James use to help support the claim made in the introduction?

A.
“Then she heard his voice, saw herself living under the same roof with him, her life merged into his. . . . And Nellie saw her future distinctly in all its details.”
B.
“Then she saw against the grey background how her husband every spring was in straights for money to pay the interest for the mortgage to the bank.”
C.
“She saw the coffin, the candles, the deacon, and even the footmarks in the hall made by the undertaker . . . And all the previous life with her husband seemed to her a stupid prelude to this.”
D.
“And pale, exhausted Nellie, gasping and swallowing her tears, began describing to the doctor her husband's illness, her unutterable terror. Her sufferings would have touched the heart of a stone.”

Answer 1

C. “She saw the coffin, the candles, the deacon, and even the footmarks in the hall made by the undertaker . . . And all the previous life with her husband seemed to her a stupid prelude to this.”