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1. What contradiction does Davis's first sentence introduce?

The first sentence of "The Center of the Story" explains that the main character has written an uninteresting story. But this contradicts what the narrator believes about stories, which is that stories with hurricanes are almost automatically interesting.

2. How is the story that the woman is writing similar to the earth and different from a hurricane?

The story is similar to the earth because both are flat. The story is different from a hurricane because it does not have a center.

3. What paradox related to religion does the woman encounter in writing her story?

The woman wants to write the story, which is about religion. And yet religion is not an easy subject for her to write about, and she does not enjoy writing about religion.

4. Explain what the "yellow pall" is and what things in Davis's story it is attached to.

A "pall" is a shroud, and the "yellow pall" is in some cases a literal yellow light that casts a sickly glow over things and in other cases is used metaphorically to describe something being figuratively covered with gloom or failure. The story is the first thing described this way, then the light that comes before the hurricane, and finally the light surrounding the sick man in his bedroom.

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