Summary

In the story “Capers,” an elderly couple started stealing things as a way to bring excitement back to their lives. They began with loose change. Dorothy stole a purse. They stole a library book by not checking it out. The final item they attempted to steal was a silk scarf from a hotel boutique. The wife, Dorothy, made it out of the store with the scarf. Security was following her and her husband. When Dorothy turned around, her husband, Henry, ran into her. The same thing had happened once when they were young. She dropped the scarf, and it was reclaimed by the sales clerk. The two elderly people were not bothered. They went to a restaurant to eat that evening. They talked only about the past.

Analysis

The main theme of this story, which is one of Pearlman’s newer stories, deals with...