The description of the setting in this paragraph reveals that the narrator knows more than what is being shared. The imagery of the shop being closed with shutters up and the crape bouquet tied to the door-knocker suggests that something significant has occurred, hinting at a deeper story behind the surface details. The absence of the usual notice and the shop's unassuming nature imply that there is an underlying situation affecting the characters, which the narrator may be aware of but has not explicitly conveyed yet.
The Sisters
by James Joyce
The next morning after breakfast I went down to look at the little house in Great Britain Street. It was an unassuming shop, registered under the vague
name of _Drapery_. The drapery consisted mainly of children’s bootees and umbrellas; and on ordinary days a notice used to hang in the window, saying:
_Umbrellas Re-covered_. No notice was visible now for the shutters were up. A crape bouquet was tied to the door-knocker with ribbon.
Use the paragraph from “The Sisters” by James Joyce to answer the question.
What does the description of the setting in this paragraph reveal about the author’s meaning?
Places often change over time.
The characters are at odds with each other.
The characters are hiding something important.
The narrator knows more than what is being shared.
3 answers
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Yes, the setting's description in the passage implies that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. The closed shop and the crape bouquet—a symbol of mourning—suggest that something serious has happened, likely the death of a character, which the narrator hints at but does not fully explain in this paragraph. This creates a sense of intrigue and suggests that the narrator possesses knowledge about the events surrounding the shop and its owner that is not yet disclosed to the reader, reinforcing the idea that the narrator knows more than what is being shared.
If you're considering the other options, they don't fit as well with the details given in the paragraph. For example, while places can change over time, the focus here is on a specific event linked to the characters, rather than a transformation of the setting itself. The tension between characters or them hiding something isn't directly suggested in this portion of the text, making "the narrator knows more than what is being shared" the most fitting choice.
1 answer