I. A FURTHER SETBACK (l. 1-115)

 

1

_ Henry seems to blind her to things “as they really are.”

_ Plain facts and acting in a sensible way.

_ Jill is ten times more real to her than Henry; she knows her; she’s awfully fond of her; she hates to hurt her; they have a life together at least for the presence; she makes her feel safe and serene with her loving anger.

 

“what a fool I am; I’m afraid I am a few screws loose; softening of the brain is setting in so soon; I might do something silly that I’m not responsible for; the awful and lunatic way I have behaved with you.”

 

2  No, there isn’t.

 

3

_ Lurking and scheming towards an issue.

_ He sees her as the one “thorn […] in his mind.”

_ Yes.

_ Society – being on top of him.

 

4

His teeth are “set” (l. 53), “bitten together” (l. 65). His eyes “almost pale, yellow […] with fury” (l. 53-54), “fixed and staring” (l. 67). His nose is “curiously slightly lifted” (l. 66).

 

5

_ “so everlasting.”

_ Like a boy.

_ He suddenly goes terribly pale, or yellow, and his lips seem to give off pain.

_ He has 60 miles of wet muddy country-roads to cycle. He doesn’t eat.

 

II. THE DEAD TREE (l. 116-384)

 

1

A - upper meadow

B - the ducks' route through the meadows into the yard

C - gorse-shaggy meadow

D - Banford's position when the tree falls onto her across the leaning fence

E - the dead tree

F - Henry's route towards the trees

G - shed meadow

H - grass approach to the farm from the main road

2

All except the timber. It’ll make splendid firing, especially good in these days of scarce fuel.

 

3

 _ Most of it: “Now the tree stood with a great yawning gap in his base […] ready to fall.”

_ His, he.

 

4

_ air: “cold mists creeping out of the woods and up”

_ light: “to sink in”

_ sky: “sun is fading away”

 

5

March looks like a rabbit because her eyes are very wide open and queer and her upper lip has lifted away from her two white front teeth.

6

 

Build: stout

Height little, i.e. short

Face: pink

Facial hair: a white beard

Eyes: smallish, pale-blue, round, with white lashes

Age: not very old

Health: rheumatics in his shoulder

Hearing: slightly deaf

Clothes: a black overcoat, and bowler hat

Walk: he potters, with little short steps

Manner of speaking: thick, rapid, muttering

Manner: nervy

Attitude to helping: he wouldn't lift a stick from the ground

Attitude to the girls: his tone is mocking and satirical

 

8

_ self-deprecatingly;  laconically; coldly; sharply;  mockingly

_ “Let us see some crack Canadian tree-felling”

 

10

_ “Who, me, mind myself?” (l. 318)

_ “Why, do you think you might hit me with the axe?” (l. 319)

_ “Absolutely impossible.” (l. 324)

 

11

 _ “turning slowly, spinning strangely in the air and coming down like a sudden darkness on the earth.” (l. 335-337)

_ “No one saw […]” (l. 337); “No one heard […]” (l. 338); “No one saw […]” (l. 340); “No one saw […]” (l. 341); “No one except the boy” (l. 342-343).

_ The boy’s.

_ The boy huntsman’s. (Not the young man’s, who falls in love with March, but the wild boy’s, who lived for hunting on his grandfather’s farm and who later escaped to Canada.)

_ “And he watched with intense bright eyes, as he would watch a wild goose he had shot. Was it winged or dead? Dead!” (l. 343-344) (Notice the biblical use of “And” to suggest destiny is taking its cause at this point, as well as Henry imposing his will.)

 

12

a)

Henry: 1, 4, 9

Banford's father: 5

March: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8

b)

Banford's mother's reaction i

 

III. SHE WAS NOT HAPPY (l. 385-576)

 

1

c)

_ “He realized that […] not quite succeed” (l. 401-404). Against this gives the fullest picture, including the repeated “she wanted him to possess her, she wanted it, she wanted nothing else,” which brilliantly suggests his exasperation.

3

March's: a, f, j, k, m, r

Henry's: c, d, e, l, n, o, p, q, s

The narrator's: b, g, h, i, j