Dept. of Speculation

The narrative shifts into the present tense as the narrator describes her experiences dropping off and picking up her daughter from school. She begins to notice how the other mothers behave in comparison to herself. Some mothers are timely and organized, unlike the narrator. When she sees these mothers, she’s reminded of a story she heard about a prisoner in solitary confinement.

The narrator wonders why she feels so bad about herself. One day, she creates a personality questionnaire. Another day, while cleaning the apartment and unclogging the drains, she reflects on how she has and hasn’t changed because of her relationships with her husband and daughter. She feels exhausted by life and wishes she could convince her daughter “to lie quietly” beside her “until she is eighteen” (45). Meanwhile, the narrator continues teaching and spending evenings with her husband. She is bored by what’s on television and by the parties they attend. Sometimes she summons Buddhist wisdom to calm down. One night, she watches her daughter play with her dolls, curious about her attention to detail.