I just barely finished reading "Rope" by Porter, and I have to say I found it incredibly amusing. The sad thing was that it reminded me of arguments that I have had with my own husband, so it made me think quite a bit. Obviously, the wife isn't simply upset that her husband bought rope instead of coffee. It was the fact that he bought something that he wanted instead of getting her what she wanted. Of course she took this action to mean that he didn't love her because he didn't think of her when he was shopping. At least, that's how I saw it because I have been in her shoes and thought similarly idiotic things. But of course, she had had reason to believe that he didn't love her because he had cheated on her one summer:
He was tired of explaining. It may have looked funny but he had simply got hooked in, and what could he do? It was impossible to believe that she was going to take it seriously. Yes, yes, she knew how it was with a man: if he was left by himself a minute, some woman was certain to kidnap him. And naturally he couldn't hurt her feelings by refusing! (45)
I also loved how there was no actual dialogue in this story. Obviously, people are talking, but there are no quotes or "he said/she said." I thought about why this might be while I was reading the story and also after I was done, and the conclusion I came to was that the things they are saying really aren't important, which is why there is no reason to directly quote them. This conversation is probably repeated a thousand times over (only next time it might be a lantern that he buys instead of rope), so obviously the words don't really stick. It is also obvious from the way they "speak" to each other that they are not listening to what the other person is really saying. It seems as if they are really just saying whatever is expected of them. Of course he has to defend her accusation of him cheating on her; that is what is expected, and he has probably said it to her before.
Another part of the story that shows the conversation is immaterial is at the very end when the husband returns from the store with the coffee, and the wife is suddenly happy again. She has what she wants (coffee), and so he can have what he wants too (rope).
I am finding a trend that the use of quotations is not really relevant in Porter's stories. I think that might be something I would like to look into further. In "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" we also discussed how in that story the quotes don't always mean that someone is actually speaking. I'm excited to see if other stories she has written are similar in this way.
Tags: Chelsea Oaks, Dialogue, Porter, reflective, Rope
On David Lodge's essay: I want a copy... Treat us to one, Dr. P?
I suppose I jumped to conclusions when it came to the affair, and as I think about it more I realize that there is no actual evidence for the affair. Obviously her fear that he has cheated on her is the main issue, whether he actually did it or not. He has given her reason to believe that he might be capable of cheating on her, and that speaks volumes about their relationship.