The Teacher

THEMES: appearance vs. reality

IMAGERY: beds, fire/stove, hands, snow, alley, stairs

CONNECTION TO THEME: The fires in the story represent the characters in the story time to think and reflect, as well as solitude.

TEST: Every time there is a fire in the story, it represents George Willard or Hop Higgins’ time to reflect. The first time that we see this is when George Willard goes to the woods and has a fire. “There he built a fire against the side of a log and sat down at the end of the log to think.” (page 157). This quote on the first page of the story just opens up to the symbolism of the fire in the stories. The next time it is shown is when George goes home. “In his own room in the New Willard House he built a fire in the stove an lay down on top of the bed. Be began to have lustful thoughts…” (page 158). The paragraph goes onto say that George dreams of the teacher, imagining the pillow in his arms as her. This quote shows the reflection and time to think every time there is a fire in the story. The fires in the story also represent the characters time to reflect in solitude and think to their selves. An example of this is when Hop Higgins, the night watchman, watches the fire alone at night. “Hop Higgins sat down by the stove and took off his shoes. When the boy had gone to sleep he began to think of his own affairs.” (page 159).