Question

the locket
by kate chopin
one night in autumn a few men were gathered about a fire on the slope of a hill. they belonged to a small detachment of confederate forces and were awaiting orders to march. their gray uniforms were worn beyond the point of shabbiness. one of the men was heating something in a tin cup over the embers. two were lying at full length a little distance away, while a fourth was trying to decipher a letter and had drawn close to the light. he had unfastened his collar and a good bit of his flannel shirt front.
\whats that you got around your neck, ned?\ asked one of the men lying in the obscurity.
ned—or edmond—mechanically fastened another button of his shirt and did not reply. he went on reading his letter.
\aint that a charm you got round your neck?\
\it must be, nick,\ returned edmond with a smile. \i dont know how i could have gone through this year and a half without it.\
the letter had made edmond heart sick and home sick. he stretched himself on his back and looked straight up at the blinking stars. but he was not thinking of them nor of anything but a certain spring day when the bees were humming in the clematis; when a girl was saying good bye to him. he could see her as she unclasped from her neck the locket which she fastened about his own. it was an old fashioned golden locket bearing miniatures of her father and mother with their names and the date of their marriage. it was her most precious earthly possession. edmond could feel again the folds of the girls soft white gown, and see the droop of the angel-sleeves as she circled her fair arms about his neck. her sweet face, appealing, pathetic, tormented by the pain of parting, appeared before him as vividly as life. he turned over, burying his face in his arm and there he lay, still and motionless.
the profound and treacherous night with its silence and semblance of peace settled upon the camp. he dreamed that the fair octavie brought him a letter. he had no chair to offer her and was pained and embarrassed at the condition of his garments. he was ashamed of the poor food which comprised the dinner at which he begged her to join them.
use the passage to answer the question.
who is the protagonist of the story?
(1 point)
a serpent in a dream.
a priest who is passing by.
a confederate soldier named nick.
a confederate soldier named edmond.

Explanation:

The story focuses on Edmond, showing his actions (reading letter, reacting to questions about locket), emotions (heart - sick, home - sick), and memories. The text centers around his experiences and inner world.

Answer:

a Confederate soldier named Edmond.