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“The Standard of Living” by Dorothy Parker

“The Standard of Living” by Dorothy Parker. . Who is Dorothy Parker?. A poet, short story writer and critic. She is known for her wit and “wisecracks”. She has an eye for the faults and weaknesses of people who live in the city in the 20 th century.

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“The Standard of Living” by Dorothy Parker

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  1. “The Standard of Living” by Dorothy Parker .

  2. Who is Dorothy Parker? • A poet, short story writer and critic. • She is known for her wit and “wisecracks”. • She has an eye for the faults and weaknesses of people who live in the city in the 20th century. • She wrote for Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and for Hollywood.

  3. Analysis • Plot: Two women, working in New York playing a game of: “What would you do if you had a million dollars?” • Characters: Major: Annabel & Midge. Minor: Sylvia • Settings: • Place: New York (tearoom, office, window shop on Fifth Avenue Street) • Time: Perhaps in the 1940s (only in that age, a “stenographer” would be found )

  4. . • Themes: • Money: it’s never enough. • How shallow people can be. • Greed (a human weakness). • Friendship • Dreams • Narration: Third person narration. Readers do not go into the mind of characters.

  5. . • Structure: • Short • The author uses brief moments of the characters’ lives to build the story. • Style: • Easy language • Expressive, giving clear images. • Short quotations are inserted to draw a better image of the characters. • Tone:Superficial (the characters are trying to be someone they’re not. Also, sarcastic: “They looked proud and cheap and charming.”

  6. . • Exposition: The two women are introduced (where they live, what they do …) • Rising Action: Creating the game: “What would you do if you had a million dollars?” • Climax: When the girls disagree on how they will spend the money (buying a silver-fox coat). • Falling Action: When they agree on spending some of the money on a “coat of mink”. • Dénouement: They change the game: “What would you do if you had 10 million dollars?”

  7. . • Conflict: • External: Between Annabel & Midge • Internal: Each women within herself, after they learn the price of the pearl necklace. • Foreshadowing: They way the two women eat (at the beginning) foreshadows their greed (when they create this game). • Irony: Situational Irony: The two women think that 1 million dollars are enough; but they’re not.

  8. . • Symbolism: • The game symbolizes human greed. • The silver-fox coat symbolizes ordinariness. • Imagery: • Visual: the description of the two women. • Gustatory: The description of food. • Olfactory: “Scent seemed to shimmer from them”

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