"The Astronomer's Wife"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the book "The Astronomer's Wife" by Kay Boyle. The paper describes the Astronomer who symbolizes the intellect, and the Plumber who symbolizes the physical. Using short quotes from the story throughout the paper, this point is proved. The paper also interprets the relationship of Mrs. Ames with the two men and states an opinion as to whether or not she would be happy with the Plumber for a long period of time.

From the Paper:

"The stars twinkle gaily as they dance eastward across the sky. The roots of the noble oak creep ever downward, sucking up precious nutrients from the damp earth. The moon looks solemnly upon the darkened sky, changing faces to suit her mood. The grass speaks in whispers to those who would tread upon it, and listens to the night-things crawling below. This is what Mrs. Ames has to choose from in Kay Boyle's "The Astronomer's Wife": the heavens or the earth. More truly, perhaps, she has to choose between mind and spirit or body and emotions. She is a young woman, "but this she had forgotten"(149). She takes refuge in day-to-day activities, attempting to overcompensate for her "dreamer" (148) of a husband."

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