The part of the story that really stood out to me was the parts alluding to a snake. This first comes up on page 284 where the author says, “I’ve always known that snakes live a long time after they die…Snakes are even more dangerous when they’re dead.” At first, this part seemed really random and was thrown in to make a point, but I wasn’t quite sure how it related to the story. However, the ending part with the snake reference really made the meaning more explicit to me. The snake was meant to represent Mr. Wheelock, the father of her child. Before the reference, she recalls a James Joyce passage that really sticks with her in a way that feels like her own little secret to reveal about why she’s ok with killing someone. “When that person…whose heart I long to stop with the click of a revolver, put his hand or hands under your skirts…did you feel it?” (288). She is ok with shooting someone that violated her from a very young age. But, even though she killed the man that did all of this to her, he still hurts her. Like she says at the end, if you don’t shoot him quick enough, the effects of his venom/horrible actions will mess with you long after he’s gone. Just like a snake.
