Summary

The fifth story in Bennett's collection, "The Big Day," uses an unnamed narrator's past tense recollection of a time when her peaceful home was disturbed due to a nation-wide celebration of culture event. The story opens with the narrator sitting on her landlady's, and neighbor's, sofa. She is all alone in the room and does not know why she is there or how long she has been sitting. The narrator recalls doing certain things but cannot remember a clear timeline of her actions. The narrator's landlady owns a plot of land with several small and historic cottages, and she has done much work in documenting their history and her restorations. As a result, the landlady planned to host an event that celebrated the history of the homes in the area, including the narrator's. The narrator was deeply annoyed and angry during this...