In the story, Angela develops a theory that beds have special significance to women. Summarize Angela's ideas about why women are "inseparable from their beds." Do you agree or disagree with her view of women's lives?

Berriault offers the metaphor of "women in their beds" as a way of thinking about common experiences that all different kinds of women share. Try to come up with a symbol for the common experiences that all different kinds of men share. Explain why you chose this symbol.

At the hospital, Angela, Lew, and Dan communicate by paging each other using the names of famous fictional and historical doctors. Berriault opens and then punctuates the action of the story with these names. Identify the doctors to whom Berriault alludes. Discuss how one or more of these figures reflects the themes of the story.

Angela is an...