The English Patient Lesson Plan

Why do you think that Katharine attacked Almasy physically when they seemed to be so passionately in love? Why does she often think Almasy doesn’t like her?

This is not stated explicitly in the text, so is open to some interpretation. It seems like it is partly their nature: there are indicators that Katharine is very fiery and that Almasy can be dismissive. There is also a lot of stress in their relationship, due to it being an affair and having to keep it a secret from others. It also seems to be a negative expression of their passion toward each other – an indicator that the passion is so great that they don’t fully know how to express it, so it surfaces in violence.