Canadian Prairies
The story is set in a fictional town but resembles the desolate Canadian lowlands. Since it is Canadian fiction Ross incorporates the prairies as the setting and symbol of the isolation and desolation in the story. The narrator feels constricted emotionally, physically, and creatively hence the prairies symbolize this seclusion and loneliness.
Strained marriage
At the center of the narrative is the Bentleys’ strained marriage with the wife as the unreliable narrator. Therefore, she expresses the marital issues only through her perspective as tension builds in the household. The lack of communication, her obsession, the husband’s indifference, and past resentments are the source of their problems. The motif of a bad marriage is explored through her powerlessness in their marital life.
The motif of failed dreams
The characters are portrayed as discontented with their lives due to stifled creativity. The Bentleys are both frustrated artists since they abandoned their artistic vocations for the domestic routine. Mrs. Bentley as a pianist with dreams of musicianship feels trapped in her current situation as a housewife. Philip on the other hand is trapped in his profession as a minister since his true vocation is painting and art. They both lament and fantasize about their failed dreams even though it appears they do not support each other themselves.
Garrison mentality
In the theorization of Canadian identity and fiction, the garrison mentality encompasses the essence of Canadian literature. It is the attitude that embodies the frame of mind that the characters possess and exude. The motif is explored through Mrs. Bentley's feeling of isolation from the rest of civilization in the prairie landscape. She feels insignificant which is escalated by her domestic life, the environment, and the social and economic dynamics.
The motif of hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is explored through the main characters and the townspeople regarding their morality and righteousness. Mrs. Bentley is skeptical of the congregation and neighbors, as she believes they are ‘philistines’. In essence, they are not moral and pretend to be decent religious townspeople. Furthermore, Philip is a minister who does not believe in God or the teachings he conveys. Therefore, the term is an allegory to the façade of the small town virtuousness.
