This was prominently revealed at the end of the story, “Were they just posing, Jess wondered. For her. For their people. For each other. Or for the closing line of the story that the first lady knew Jess would end up writing” (par 58). This line proves Marlene was putting on a show for the people of her country and for Jess. Throughout the story, Marlene kept telling Jess she couldn’t speak freely because the men would hear. This story takes place in the Middle East. Therefore, it is not uncommon for women to be treated differently than men. Considering the social normalcies, this forces the women to be cautious of their conversations. The theme of putting on a show follows suit with Danticat’s other work “New York Day Women”. In this piece of literature, the whole text is surrounded by the characters living different lives during the day. The first example of this is when the daughter realizes the mother has a different life in the day. This is indicated in paragraph fifteen, “I followed my mother, mesmerized by the many possibilities of her journey. Even in a flowered dress, she is lost in a sea of pinstripes and gray suits, high heels and elegant short skirts,
This was prominently revealed at the end of the story, “Were they just posing, Jess wondered. For her. For their people. For each other. Or for the closing line of the story that the first lady knew Jess would end up writing” (par 58). This line proves Marlene was putting on a show for the people of her country and for Jess. Throughout the story, Marlene kept telling Jess she couldn’t speak freely because the men would hear. This story takes place in the Middle East. Therefore, it is not uncommon for women to be treated differently than men. Considering the social normalcies, this forces the women to be cautious of their conversations. The theme of putting on a show follows suit with Danticat’s other work “New York Day Women”. In this piece of literature, the whole text is surrounded by the characters living different lives during the day. The first example of this is when the daughter realizes the mother has a different life in the day. This is indicated in paragraph fifteen, “I followed my mother, mesmerized by the many possibilities of her journey. Even in a flowered dress, she is lost in a sea of pinstripes and gray suits, high heels and elegant short skirts,