Nights at the Circus | Short Essay Answer Key

Short Essay Answer Key

1. What is the real reason Walser has come to interview Fevvers?

In his mind, he is there to expose the truth, that Fevvers' wings and her trapeze act are all an illusion.

2. What does Walser see in Fevvers dressing room?

Walser makes a note of a large poster, which, aside from a vase of violets, is the only real personal touch in the room. The poster is of Fevvers in mid-flight, reaching for an unseen trapeze with the large heading: Is she fact or is she fiction?

3. What did Walser conclude about Fevvers before the interview?

Walser thinks of Fevvers' performance before the interview. Her act opens with someone playing a song entitled "Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage," and Walser make notes of all of the evidence that Fevvers' wings cannot be real. He even breaks it down to a...
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