Summary

In the section “The Scaffolding” describes the Portico di Ottavia as it stands in Rome. Even though she was wary of other buildings that were supported by scaffolding she never felt wary of this ancient ruin although it was surrounded by scaffolding. Jhumpa tells her reader that even as a child she wrote to feel alone. With Italian she depended on help from Emily Dickinson, her muse, for inspiration to write. She wrote her book, about a chapter a week, then turned it over to her Italian teacher for correction. After that was finished she let two writers critique the work. The editors at the magazine where her work was first published also helped by accepting her unusual writing style and technique. She compares those who helped her correct and critique her writing to the scaffolding that supported many of the...