The phrase “good woman†is used over and over again throughout the story; indeed, in the first half of the story it almost functions as a refrain. You’ve probably been advised—over and over again—not to use imprecise diction and not to repeat the same phrase too often. How, then, can you account for Elliot’s frequent use of this expression? What does it add to this story? Before you answer these questions, try the following:
- Select five possible synonyms for the word good and clarify the distinctions among them.
- Reread the first few pages, imagining that the word good has been replaced with one or the other of your chosen synonyms. What is lost when the word good is replaced by a variety of other words?