1. Passage 2
1.1. Significance
1.1.1. Gives insight into the narrator's past.
1.1.1.1. Reason for her bitterness
1.1.2. Juxtaposes the narrator's views regarding the two deaths
1.1.2.1. Lots of love for her daughter
1.1.2.1.1. Lots of details are mentioned
1.1.2.2. Indifference towards Alan
1.1.2.2.1. Only a brief explanation saying he'd died.
1.1.3. Revelation of the reason for her sadness
1.1.3.1. Her daughter's death
1.2. 'only four years'
1.2.1. she believes her daughter's death was recent
1.3. 'Twenty-two dollars'
1.3.1. She remembers the exact details of her daughter's death compared to her husband who she explained briefly.
1.4. "Oriental lilies...They're too powerful, those flowers, aren't they? The scent."
1.4.1. Despite being around flowers often, the narrator is overwhelmed by the scent of oriental lilies.
1.4.1.1. Indicates a significance about those specific flowers- they were the flowers that were used to carry out her daughter's funeral.
1.5. 'I'd had to borrow money for everything'
1.5.1. Her dependency on Alan for money, however also shows how that although she married Alan for money, she still needed money for her daughter's funeral.
1.6. Tone - calm and also detached from reality
1.6.1. Her tone throughout the passage was emotional when mentioning her daughter while when she talks about Alan, it seems bitter, possibly due to her unstable emotions.
1.7. "...I wept. Didn't shed a tear today for Alan; funny isn't it?"
1.7.1. Juxtaposition between her reaction to daughter and Alan's death.
1.7.1.1. She didn't care much for Alan
1.7.1.1.1. It is later revealed that Alan often left her alone and was possibly responsible for her daughter's death with his trafficking business.
1.7.1.2. She cared deeply for her daughter.
1.8. "I had closure."
1.8.1. She had motivation to lead Alan to his death.
1.8.1.1. He was possibly related to her daughter's death. His trafficking business may have been drug related- her daughter was found dead with needle tracks.
1.9. 'Stood there breathing in that sickly sweetness as I wept'
1.10. "...funny, isn't it? Completely dry-eyed."
1.10.1. The narrator has become dissociated from her emotions. She does not feel remorse for her actions, instead, she reacts in a fashion that is quite delirious.
1.11. Repetition of the idea that she had to borrow money.
1.11.1. She is extremely regretful that she was not able to send of a beloved child with the respect that she felt her daughter deserved.
2. Passage 1
2.1. "it wasn't exactly Alan had a nautical past... Loved that little yacht of his."
2.1.1. implies Alan's wealth
2.2. "... let myself into the silent house... final death is,"
2.2.1. ironic because Alan is away on business trips most of the time
2.2.1.1. realises that Alan wont be coming back
2.3. "I'm glad i went with my instinct... new book from the library calls closure."
2.3.1. the sea burial helped the narrator achieve closure as it is less touching than a traditional funeral.
2.4. "Up as Port Douglas he was never off the water, given half a chance."
2.4.1. alludes to Alan's death
2.5. "there is something so quiet and dignified about a sea burial", "just a final goodbye, and a slip away. Beautiful."
2.5.1. Narrator's views and values?
3. Passage 3
3.1. 'played his part'
3.1.1. he pretended that he belonged, acted like he fit in
3.1.2. apologising to his wife
3.1.3. Pretending to be a good husband
3.2. "fumbling"
3.2.1. This suggests that he was either new or unfamiliar to this action, or that he was nervous.
3.3. "so few witnesses"
3.3.1. A sea burial has 'so few witnesses', suggesting that no one other than herself knows about his death; and that he just vanished from the face of the earth.
3.4. "Brightly suggesting"
3.4.1. Not knowing his future demise. Appearing to be happy, and hiding his worries.
3.5. "then i'll deal the cards"
3.5.1. By saying 'then [she]'ll deal the cards', she is admitting that she is finally in control of her life, and that she hasn't been impacted by his death.
3.6. "mock sympathy"
3.6.1. could refer to her opinion towards her husband's death
3.7. "I took goldie off the leash"
3.7.1. Taking off the leash provides the husband the idea that the area was safe. A false sense of safety.
3.8. "it's only natural he would follow"
3.8.1. he is outside his element
3.8.1.1. even the dog knows that the cliff is dangerous
3.9. "dignity"
3.9.1. in some way, she is getting her dignity back
3.9.2. she is giving her husband dignity too
3.10. "It wasn't the first time we'd done it"
3.10.1. This shows how the main character and the dog have walked in the area many times, yet it was probably her husband's first. Links back to how her husband were frequently absent.
3.11. "Early morning walk"
3.11.1. Not many people would be around.
3.11.1.1. Perhaps displays how the husband was anxious to be around too many people? Since he was worried about people who were against him that was outside the law, he probably chose a time where there was less people.