What is the theme of the short story No Ones a Mystery by Elizabeth Tallent?
A theme that shows up throughout the story is that of CONTRAST. The narrator is very sentimental while Jack either holds back his emotions, or feels none for his mistress. Also, the narrator displays an optimistic attitude at all times: she sees gold in Jack’s zipper when she is pushed on the floor; she focuses on the dazzle in the heat of Wyoming; she notices a butterfly of dust on her jeans from being on the dirty floor of the truck. Whereas Jack maintains a pessimistic attitude: He focuses on what he hates the most in his wife; he insists that in a year, his mistress will grow weary of their relationship; he points out that breast milk is bitter, not sweet. The characters attitudes contrast in other ways as well: the narrator fantasizes about setting a table with her grandmother’s clean linens, while Jack’s life is as cluttered and unattended as his truck.
