It causes Conradin increased anxiety because he knows Mrs. De Ropp would not approve of it.

It presents Conradin with a moral predicament because he obtained it in an underhanded way.

It forces Conradin to give up the “Houdan hen” as the primary object of his “affection” (paragraph 3).

It fulfills Conradin’s imaginative ideal because he is able to transform it into “a god and a religion” (paragraph 3).

It encourages Conradin to consider reforming his negative attitude toward Mrs. De Ropp.

“Without his imagination, which was rampant under the spur of loneliness, he would have succumbed long ago” (paragraph 1)

“Such few pleasures as he could contrive for himself gained an added relish from the likelihood that they would be displeasing to his guardian, and from the realm of his imagination she was locked out—an unclean thing, which should find no entrance” (paragraph 2)

“In the dull, cheerless garden, overlooked by so many windows that were ready to open with a message not to do this or that, or a reminder that medicines were due, he found little attraction” (paragraph 3)

“He had peopled it with a legion of familiar phantoms, evoked partly from fragments of history and partly from his own brain, but it also boasted two inmates of flesh and blood” (paragraph 3)

“Its very presence in the tool-shed was a secret and fearful joy, to be kept scrupulously from the knowledge of the Woman, as he privately dubbed his cousin” (paragraph 3)

views dramatic performance as an insignificant art form

finds entertainers to be inauthentic and unconvincing

will tell the “truth” in a way that his audience can accept

thinks his audience lacks the ability to discern the “truth”

intends to keep the “truth” a secret from his audience

reinforce the notion that the play is part of a “world of reality” (paragraph 5) that will be reconstructed from “memory” (paragraph 4)

support the notion that the play is firmly a “sentimental” play and not a “realistic” play (paragraph 4)

suggest that Tom is a worldly narrator who will share his travel experiences with his audience

show that Tom is a “poet” (paragraph 5) who is mainly interested in social and political subjects

reveal that Tom is a nostalgic narrator who wishes he could live in the past

dissatisfaction and contentment

productivity and idleness

waiting and fulfillment

reason and emotion

superficiality and authenticity

It forces Tom to reconsider his attitude toward the other characters in the play.

It prompts Tom to admit that he is prone to attaching figurative meaning to characters.

It reveals that Tom has begun to fear that outsiders pose a threat to the family.

It highlights Tom’s refusal to accept reality when it challenges his illusions.

It suggests Tom’s steadfast belief that his father will eventually return to the family.

Tom distrusts his father and disapproves of his actions.

Tom and his family have since reconciled with the father.

The father’s absence suggests he cannot be a source of tension in the play.

The father’s correspondence shows he still cares about the well-being of his family.

The void created by the father’s absence serves as an important character itself.

The time period that Tom evokes and the music of the fiddle in the wings

The magician’s illusion and the photograph of Tom’s father on the mantel

The revolution in Spain and Tom’s father’s job at the telephone company

Tom’s use of memories to narrate the play and his admitted weakness for symbols

Tom’s description of the gentleman caller and his reference to the postcard from Mazatlan