Final answer:
Passages from Miranda July's 'Birthmark', a woman's yearning for her partner to be a hero, and Amy's dreams of future happiness exemplify the narrator's belief that anticipation is often better than the reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
To support the statement "The narrator feels the anticipation of something is often better than the thing itself," three selected passages demonstrate this theme. First, the excerpt from Miranda July's Birthmark discusses how winning the lottery doesn’t fundamentally change a person’s essence, suggesting that the expectation of becoming someone different is better than reality. Second, from the provided text, the woman's yearning for her partner to become her hero highlights the allure and anticipation of transformation. Lastly, in the narrative about Amy, her dreams and desires reflect a longing for something greater and her anticipation of future happiness and transformation.