What do you think Rosaura learned from this experience?

The story ends on the image of the characters stuck in a kind of tableau vivant. Rosaura’s and her mother’s body language suggests they are not going to take the money, yet Señora Ines won’t withdraw her hand and the cash it holds. The power dynamic between these characters of different classes and socioeconomic statuses has been at play throughout the story, but until this moment, Rosaura has been unaware of it, or at least unwilling to recognize it.

Heker’s choice of words in the last lines—“as if she wouldn’t dare” and “might shatter an infinitely delicate balance”—describes the nuanced dynamic at play in the image. Heker’s words suggest that Señora Ines, despite her apparent kindness, needs Rosaura to take the money not so much for Rosaura’s benefit but for Señora Ines to uphold her sense of social segregation. She cannot see Rosaura as an actual friend of her daughter and a regular guest at the party. She needs to give Rosaura the money to maintain the “delicate balance” that keeps her in a position of power of people who have less money and privilege than herself.