Summary

The story begins with the currently unnamed protagonist stating that she will answer the question as to why she married Liu Kanghi. Before she married Liu Kanghi, the protagonist was married to a burly, older American man named James Carson. At the beginning of their relationship, there was a strong bond between them. However, over time, the love faded and James grew colder toward the protagonist. For example, he became tired of her “little jokes” (63).

Before the protagonist was married, she was a stenographer. However, after having a baby with James, she quit her job. James was passionate about “woman suffrage” (63), but the protagonist thought that women trying to take on similar responsibilities to those of men would be a “disorderly spectacle” (64).

Despite James’ passion for women’s rights, he continuously berated the protagonist, “sneeringly” (64) laughing at her when she struggled with math...