"The Painted Door"

Base XP: 60

For this assignment you will be exploring the short story ''The Painted Door'' by (James) Sinclair Ross, a Canadian banker and author, best known for his fiction about life in the Canadian prairies. 

Ross was born on a homestead near Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. His first novel, As For Me and My House (1941), is set in an isolated town in the Prairies during the Great Depression. At first, not much noticed, it went on to become a Canadian literary classic which set the precedent for the genre of Canadian prairie literature.  In 1992, Ross was made a member of the Order of Canada. He died in February, 1996.

I love this story because the concepts are fairly easy to identify, but with enough depth that they require some real analysis. It's also depressing (my favourite!). 

Your Task

OPTION A: With reference to the story, answer the following questions. Be sure to answer in complete sentences  using correct English.

1. Isolation drives Ann to discontentment is one of the themes in “The Painted Door.” Locate phrases and scenes throughout the story that demonstrate this theme. What other themes are present in this short story?

2. Describe the setting of the story. How is it important to the overall story?

3. How has Sinclair Ross used the literary device repetition to create mood and atmosphere in “The Painted Door”?

4. In your opinion, how does the ‘painted door’ symbolize the state of Ann and John’s relationship?

5. Reflecting back on the story, there was foreshadowing of what would happen later in the plot. Locate an example of foreshadowing in the story.

6. The dénouement comprises events after the climax and the falling action. At what point in the story is the dénouement attained?  Give quotations to support your decision.

OPTION B:  In paragraph format, and with reference to the text, discuss Sinclair Ross's use of literary elements to develop theme in "The Painted Door." 

(Note: this is super challenging, but awesome practice because you will see things like this all the time if you study English in university.)

OPTION C: Reflect and respond to the story using your Recipe for Representation. You may want to use the suggested questions above to help identify which story elements to focus on. 

 Submission

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