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“It’s always an imprudence to step between a man and the reflection of his own cleverness” (136).
What do you think Penelope is asserting here? Is this just her view, or is it also Atwood’s view? Explain your position.
Penelope is asserting that the male ego, perhaps particularly during the period of Ancient Greece, is fragile and that undoing his satisfaction with his own cleverness could be dangerous. In other words, tearing down the male ego can cause men to be violent, so Penelope said it was unwise to do so as means of protecting herself. Why create a potentially violent situation for herself when she could just pretend to be dumb and give her husband all the...
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