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Analysis Of The Astronomer's Wife - Term Papers

Analysis Of The Astronomer's Wife

In the "Astronomer's Wife" by Kay Boyle, something as simple as a
conversation with a plumber about a stopped elbow is enough to trigger an
awakening in Mrs. Katherine Ames. When Mrs. Ames realized that the plumber was
talking about something she understood (the stopped elbow), she realized that
her marital problems were not the result of a division betwwen the sexes;
instead, she realized that some men, like the plumber, are as practical as she
is, and that some other men, like her husband, scorn people like her because
they are intellectually inclined. Previous to this discovery, Katherine did not
realize that there were different kinds of men, and therefore she did not
realize that ...

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The scene
begins immediately after the plumber says "I think something has stopped the
elbow", because this phrase was one of the few things that a man has ever said
that Mrs. Ames has understood. After the plumber has descended into the ground
before the scene, Mrs. Ames is the only one left. She spends the entire
duration of this scene sitting on the grass, silently thinking and revealing her
thoughts to the audience.
During her course of thinking, Mrs. Ames makes the important discovery that
there is a whole race of practical people like herself, men and women alike.
She knew that "when her husband spoke of height, having no sense of it, she
could not picture it nor hear", but strangely enough, when another man who
happened to be a plumer spoke of his work, "madness in a daily shape, as elbow
stopped, she saw clearly and well". Mrs Ames finally realized during these
thoughts that these were two men with two different ways of life, and perhaps
her way of life suited the ...

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Analysis Of The Astronomer's Wife. (2004, March 31). Retrieved January 12, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Analysis-Of-The-Astronomers-Wife/5490

"Analysis Of The Astronomer's Wife." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 31 Mar. 2004. Web. 12 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Analysis-Of-The-Astronomers-Wife/5490>

"Analysis Of The Astronomer's Wife." Essayworld.com. March 31, 2004. Accessed January 12, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Analysis-Of-The-Astronomers-Wife/5490.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/31/2004 01:18:02 PM
Category: English
Type: Free Paper
Words: 777
Pages: 3

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