Eng. Reading 19
Mr. Shimada
June 30, 1997

The Assistant, Chapter 5 (pp. 93-117)

　

  1. How is the business at the grocery store around Christmas and New Year's? How do the following people feel about it: Ida, Morris, Frank, and Helen?
  2. Why do you think Frank goes to the library? Why do you think that "he had definitely made up his mind to start college in the fall"? How does Helen react to this? What does the phrase--"maybe his nose straightened"-- signify? (p. 96)
  3. Make a comment on the following: "...he...had this crazy sensation that he was reading about himself." (p. 98)
  4. Why do you think Helen would not go out with Nat when he called?
  5. What does Frank give Helen? How does she take it and what does she do with the presents? How does Frank react to what she does? What do you think of the whole episode? (pp. 100-105) Do you think Helen is in love with Frank?
  6. Who is the man feeding the pigeons on page 107? What does the scene signify?
  7. How do Helen and Frank settle for his presents? What do you think of this solution? Do you think Helen has made the right decision?
  8. How do Helen and Frank feel about each other? Comment on Helen's observations:

...then he had these things in him because you couldn't make them out of nothing. (p. 109)

If not, what made her feel he had done something"committed himself in a way she couldn't guess. (p. 110)

And how do you explain Frank's following feeling?

...recalling what he had answered her, he felt this elated feeling, as if he had crashed head on through a brick wall but hadn't bruised himself. (p. 110)

  1. How do Ida and Morris feel about Helen and Frank's relationship?
  2. What does Morris say is a Jew? What does he think is important to a Jew? Why does he say Jews suffer? What do you think of his philosophy?
  3. Why do you think Frank has asked Morris questions about Jews? What do you think the author attempts to do in this dialogue between Frank and Morris?
  4. How does Morris find Frank stealing from the cash register? Why was he "Unable to meet Frank's eyes" (p. 115)?
  5. Why doesn't Morris fire Frank even after he was certain Frank had been stealing from hem? What does Morris decide to do? What do you think of his decision? How does Frank take it?