Explain what makes one or both narrators unreliable and why this is important to understanding the story.

1. Question: According to Lynette Carpenter, the two male narrators in “Dare’s Gift” are unreliable. Certainly, there are many times in the story when “reality” does not fit their point of view. Explain what makes one or both narrators unreliable and why this is important to understanding the story. You may consider why Glasgow, as a feminist, would narrate a story from a male perspective? What is the purpose? Narrow/focus this question.

2. Question: In “Ideals,” why does Lydia feel as if she’s “imprisoned like a wax wreath under a glass globe of the 19th century”? What does this symbol of entrapment or metaphor mean in the story? Overall, how does an examination of this metaphor help us understand the text’s meaning?