Summary

In the Chapter “Christmas Surprise,” after one of their many trips abroad, the narrator and her husband brought Emerence a portable television as a Christmas gift. The narrator was pleased because Emerence actually accepted the gift. That evening, she and her husband were given a chance to see how inappropriate their gift was. It was a turning point in the relationship with Emerence, and the narrator was given a chance to see reality clearly. As she and her husband looked out over the street as it snowed, they saw Emerence busy sweeping the snow away. At this moment, the narrator realized the television was useless to Emerence because she was not the sort of person who would sit down and watch it if she knew there were chores to be done. Even though they realized they should have helped...