Five - twenty

When was five twenty written?

When was five twenty written?

Five twenty is a 1968 short story by Patrick white

What view point was it written?

The short story is a third person viewpoint of Ella and royal a late middle age couples dispassionate and unfulfilled marriage.

How does Royal's name reflect his personality within his household?

Royal's name reflects his dominant personality as the little king of his household.

How does his work history shape his relationship?

His work history includes both moments of pride and some bad choices.

He doesn't really notice when his wife shows affection and he ignores her wish to have a baby which makes her really sad even though she keeps it to herself.

Why does Ella refuse the doctor's suggestion about infertility?

When the the doctor hints that his infertility might be the issue Ella doesn't want to hear it fearing it would hurt his pride.

How does Ella feel about her role as a caregiver?

Ella's role as his caregiver is humiliating for both with her tending to his needs even bed sores and bedpans.

How do Royal and Ella's behaviours differ in their relationship?

Royal is overbearing and irritable while

Ella quietly complies with his demands like cooking him better meals than herself.

How does ella marriage affect her sense of identity and autonomy?

She seems to have lost her identity in her marriage revolving her life entirely around royal without questioning his actions.

She lives in isolation without friends or outside support.

How does Ella change following Royal's death?

Only after royals death does Ella find a sense of freedom like allowing dust to gather and caring less about daily tasks.

She feels liberated from royals dominance.

What is Ellis's daily routine like?

Ellis's life is in Credibly dull and repetitive mostly spent sitting with her husband royal in front of their house watching traffic go by.

Why does she follow his instructions without question?

She obeys him completely thinking he's smarter and knows more just because he's a man.

Where does Ella choose to sit despite her torn clothes and laddered stockings?

Ella despite her torn clothes and laddered stockings accepts her place on an old cane chair.

How does she approach interactions with the royal?

She treads carefully around royal avoiding any display of emotion thinking she must always cater to his needs.

Does she lack confidence and constantly prioritise his desires ?

She hardly has any confidence and always does whatever he wants even though he never appreciates it.

It's as if she exists solely to cater Royals demands never considering her own needs.

How does submissive roles by Ella and other women reflect the impact of society's deep-seated sexism?

The way Ella and other women accept submissive roles shows how society's deep-seated sexism affects them especially when they're seen as unimportant.

What is Ella often referred as?

She is often referred simply as "she" or "you" and she carries the burden of blame for every difficulty in their life.

What are some indications of Ella's bottled-up feelings and wishes throughout the story?

Throughout the story there are signs of Ella's pent up emotions and desires.

What symbols of affection does she express in her garden?

She shows her love for royalty with wet kisses.

Her lively garden, full of colorful flowers like cineraria, cassias, maidenhair, hibiscus, and hollyhocks, represents life and fertility.

What are the preferred characteristics of ceraria roots?

Especially with the ceraria roots preferred pink swollen teats the things she packs away after Royals death reveal a contrast.

What are the main themes and imagery portrayed in Hubert's crusade book?

Hubert's crusade book is promoting Christian ideals and a picture of cities of the plain from which people are escaping from the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Who does Ella encounter in her lush garden, and what do they request?

Ella meets the man from the pink Holden car and of her recurrent dreams requesting to use her phone in her lush garden.

What is the impression of the man with a hair lip?

he doesn't seem at all an impressive man with a hair lip.

What happened when the man embraced Ella with a passionate kiss?

Ella was surprised when the man embraced her with a passionate kiss signalling the end of years of hidden feelings.

As they kissed Ella poured all her love into it hoping to heal all the pain they had ever experienced.

What makes Ella's transformation in the story's ending so intriguing?

The stories end is intriguing because Ella's finally finds her voice and newfound freedom she is no longer controlled by royal and embraces a passionate life.

How does Sophie's behaviour change when she buys makeup to impress the man driving the pink Holden?

This change becomes evident when she buys makeup to impress the man who drives the pink Holden and whose name she doesn't even know.

It's significant because for the first time she's taking care of herself other than someone else.

How does Ella prepare for the man's second visit despite her age?

Regardless of her age Ella prepares for the man's second visit like a schoolgirl on a first date trying to apply makeup resulting in a comical purple flower mishap.

Why does Ella's reaction to the man's fall seem rehearsed?

When the man collapses possibly due to a heart attack Ella's sadness filled with affectionate words like "dearest" and "darling" seems practiced or planned.

Why does Ella trying to kiss the dying man at the end of the story make us feel sad, confused, and uncomfortable?

Borrowed from actors rather than her own experiences.

The story's conclusion as Ella's tries to kiss the dying man is a mix of sadness, ridiculousness and unsettling moments.