Do we know how many years she taught china painting? The narrator tells us that, when they tried to get her to begin paying her taxes, a "deputation waited upon her, knocked at the door through which no visitor had passed since she ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier."
Does her having taught china painting have an impact on the story? I don't think so. The word "impact" is too strong. Her buying the arsenic has an impact because it serves as a clue to how Homer Barron died. The foul odor around her house has an impact because it tells us to expect an explanation for what caused the big stink. But china painting is not something that moves the plot. What it does do, however, is give us one more indication of how old-fashioned and set in her ways Emily is.
An article in The New York Times reports, "By the 1890's, china painting was a national phenomenon, a do-it-yourself craze that hundreds of thousands of women across America joined for pleasure or profit." Women would buy plain, or blank, china vases or plates or cups and then paint their own designs. When mass production of pottery and china was introduced, prices were reduced and more people were able to buy full sets of china. The art of china painting became less popular and was considered old fashioned.
Visit the links below for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment