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What Is Scarlatti Has Done To Her Life's Work?

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A bond between a mother and her child is one of the strongest bonds possible. In rare cases, a maternal bond can be formed between two people who are not related. Such a bond is present in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler between Ezra and Mrs. Scarlatti, a spirited, spunky older woman. Ezra begins working at Scarlatti’s at a young age and gradually ascends the hierarchy of the restaurant while simultaneously becoming close with the owner. Eventually, Scarlatti becomes sick and lives in the hospital, leaving Ezra to run the restaurant; in her absence, Ezra renovates and transforms the restaurant, believing that Scarlatti will die rather than return to work. Scarlatti does return and is horrified to see what Ezra has done to her life’s work. In a paragraph on page 128, Anne Tyler uses imagery, tone, and symbolism to show that Ezra breaks Mrs. Scarlatti’s spirit. …show more content…

Her face seemed stripped” (128). The imagery here shows an old woman looking up to a young man helplessly; her face reflects her emotions, or lack thereof. When one cares a great deal about something, he or she will have strong feelings about it, although when traumatized or broken, one may not express any emotions, rather he or she copes with the loss by ceasing to care about anything and in the process, losing any passion or will to live. A face is the most expressive part of the human body, so when a face seems stripped, it reflects an inner absence of emotion. The once opinionated and passionate Scarlatti has lost these qualities, lost her emotions, and lost her

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