Manhattan Transfer Lesson Plan

When Cassandra comes to Ellen and tells her she is pregnant with Morris's child, she begins despairing over her situation. Ellen is gruff with her, at one point thinking to herself, "I hate women. I hate women" (203). Why does she think this? What does this say about her character?

Ellen has made comments throughout the novel about the difficulty she has with women and men, but this is the most specific she has been about hating women, and since it comes during a time in which a friend of hers is being vulnerable about a very difficult situation, it can appear quite jarring. However, given what other characters have said about Ellen (think of Ruth's comment about...