The Writer As Explorer

I’m intrigued by the complexity of each character and the man and woman’s shared desire to kill. Both the woman and her lover (?) are trapped in relationships they don’t really want any part in, but they both desire something from the other, just not love. This story reminds me of stories written to teach people a lesson about sin. I think the woman could easily be written with a focus on greed and the man a focus of lust, both of which lead them to the desire to kill, but not to change. I’m interested in the fact that murder seems to be the only solution on their radar, that they would rather live miserably, but be wanted, than try to change and do something that makes them happy, or at the very least less unhappy than their current situations. Additionally, I wonder about the man’s wife. Surely if the woman takes up this much of his time, the wife must know and I wonder if she fantasizes about killing him. Further, this desire to kill seems to me to be a reflection of how they feel about themselves, evident in the text when the woman speaks about wanting to die or wanting to kill herself, and yet, still she waits nude for the man in the chair, doing nothing but hiding shears and wishing he was different, that she was different, that things were different. I wonder what she would do if she did try to change her situation, or if she’s even capable. Her mind, in many ways, is catered for him and I expect it would take a very long time to escape that kind of mindset. I feel sorry for her.