Do you think “The Five-Forty-Eight” has a moral lesson? If so, what is it?
To a certain extent, "The Five-Forty-Eight" tells a classic story of revenge. Blake treats Miss Dent in a despicable manner, and believes there will be no consequences. She then resurfaces in his life to threaten and humiliate him, taking her revenge. At the same time, Miss Dent presents herself as deranged and unstable, making it difficult to sympathize with her. Thus there is something pathetic about both Blake and Miss Dent that prevents any one moral lesson from truly hitting home.
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What role does the setting of suburbia play in "The Five-Forty-Eight"?
In Blake's life, as well as the life of men throughout the suburbs of New York City, the office in Manhattan and the home in Shady Hill are separate worlds. Suburbia represents the promise of whiteness, of middle class affluence, and of the American Dream. Miss Dent imagines Blake's life in the suburbs—in terms of a happy marriage, loving children, and comfort—with longing. But she is wrong: as the narrator notes, "She seemed to imagine the lives of the rest of the world to be more brilliant than they were." As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that this fantasy is a lie. Blake's marriage is rocky and his children prefer to stay over at their neighbors' houses. In "The Five-Forty-Eight," suburbia represents the illusion or facade of middle-class affluence in America.
The Five-Forty-Eight Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for The Five-Forty-Eight is a great
resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
Mr. Blake is a business man who holds an important enough executive position to warrant having a private secretary. He is petty and snobbish and almost certainly suffering some manner of a personality disorder dependent on an elevated level of...
The Five-Forty-Eight is a reference to the train Blake caught to take home. It reminds Blake of the bomb shelters in the not so distant past, and it metaphorically represents the "bomb" that will go off in the train..... Miss Dent's emotional...
In my opinion, Blake will definitely take more time and excercise caution when hiring personal employees. He might also have learned to extend a little generosity before firing someone.... maybe finding out what they're really like. In the end,...
The Five-Forty-Eight study guide contains a biography of John Cheever, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
The Five-Forty-Eight essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever.