Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem. Near the end of "The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter," the speaker describes how she is hurt by seeing the "paired butterflies," which are "already yellow with August."

How do these details develop the idea that time and maturity can allow love to develop between two people?

A. They show that the speaker is still immature, which is why real love has not yet developed between her and her husband.

B.They suggest that the beauty of the natural world is fleeting and cannot compare to the lasting beauty of two mature people who love one another.

C. They show that, even when two people are mature enough to be in love, separation and time can cause their feelings to change and dim and wither.

D. They suggest that the speaker is no longer the innocent girl or the bashful bride she once was, and she wants to be paired again with her beloved husband.

Answer 1

The answer is alternative D.

In the poem "The River Merchant's Wife," the narrator describes two yellow butterflies to indicate that time is going by and she is no longer young. The butterflies are also paired, so she makes a comparison between them and herself, who is alone waiting for her beloved husband.