Study Questions

1. Why did Gaston Cleric move west?

2. What was so unsusal about Jim’s room in Lincoln?

3. What does Jim believe was “fatal” to Gaston Cleric’s “poetic gift”?

4. Why did Lena insist on paying her own way to the theatre?

5. What did Lena plan to do with the money she saved?

6. Where does Lena tell Jim Antonia is working?

7. What does Jim remember when he hears Lena laugh?

8. Why was Jim puzzled by Lena’s business success?

9. What was the significance of the umbrella Jim uses on his way back from the theatre?

10. Why does Lena like to be lonesome?

Answers

1. Gaston’s doctor suggested he move west in order to improve his health.

2. The small room was once a linen closet.

3. Jim believes Gaston’s “bursts of imaginative talk” prevented him from becoming a great poet.

4. She insists on paying her way because she was making good money and Jim was a student with little money.

5. She wants to build a house for her mother.

6. She is working at the hotel for Mrs. Gardener.

7. It makes Jim remember the laughter of all the hired girls.

8. Jim was puzzled because most business people are hard-nosed, but Lena is an easy-going person.

9. It was the present Mrs. Harling gave him for his graduation.

10. When she was a young girl, she never had time to herself.