As I read anything, (which I'm sure everyone does) especially the stories in this class, I find myself trying to figure out the behaviors of the characters. I want to understand their psyche, I don't know, maybe to understand human nature better. I can't help it, I am just drawn to their behaviors and personalities...what makes them tick. But when I read "Theft" I was ecstatic to find out, that I really can't pin the main character's personality and behavior down, or why she acts the way she does.
The conclusion I came to, finally, was that Porter hid the main character's reasons and background from us on purpose, it's the vagueness of the main character that sets up the mystery of her and truly made me think, "Why did she come to her own conclusion on page 65 that she 'was right not to be afraid of any thief but (herself), who will end by leaving (her) nothing'?" Instead of the other stories where I (okay maybe naively so) understood why the character acted a certain way.
For our main character in "Theft," I couldn't help but think that she was simply careless about what was going on around her....not necessarily lazy or idle. This scarily touched home with me, as I'm sure it perhaps did with other readers, because there are my days where I am so careless about events going on around me. Perhaps for the woman in "Theft" it is some type of avoidance behavior from reading the letter and then burning it. But either way, she is her own thief, because she doesn't ever take opportunities to experience something. Her interaction with Bill on page 62 suggests this, as she seemingly and carelessly turns the attention from Bill's drama to a rug on the floor. Or perhaps the main character is too busy trying to remember the mysterious letter's words.
Tags: Rebecca, reflective, Theft