Question

Read the stanza below. Why is Bess trying to touch the trigger of the gun?

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like
years
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
Bess is tied up and doesn't have anything else to do with her hands.
Bess is going to shoot the redcoats.
Bess is waiting for highwayman to come in so she can help defend him
against the redcoats.

Answer 1

In the poem 'The Highwayman,' Bess tries to touch the trigger of the gun to protect the highwayman from the redcoats.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the given stanza from the poem 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes, Bess is trying to touch the trigger of the gun because she wants to save the highwayman from the approaching redcoats. The poem describes a story of love and sacrifice, where Bess, the innkeeper's daughter, is helping her lover, the highwayman, escape from the redcoats who are after him. By touching the trigger, Bess is taking control of the situation and is ready to defend her lover.

Learn more about The actions of Bess in the poem 'The Highwayman'