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the doctor called upon me, and after making various ridiculous excuses for failing to send in a proper bill, he hummed and hawed a good deal and suddenly suggested that i should marry him.
i was very much astonished. . . . i reflected a minute and then asked him why he wanted to marry me. that seemed to fluster him a good deal, and he murmured that a wife was a great help to a general practitioner. the position seemed even more unromantic than before, and yet something in me urged towards its acceptance. safety, that was what i was being offered. safety—and a comfortable home. thinking it over now, i believe i did the little man an injustice. he was honestly in love with me, but a mistaken delicacy prevented him from pressing his suit on those lines. anyway, my love of romance rebelled.
\its extremely kind of you,\ i said. \but its impossible. i could never marry a man unless i loved him madly.\
\you dont think——?\
o, i dont,\ i said firmly.
he sighed.
adapted from agatha christie, the man in the brown suit
what does the doctors interaction with the narrator suggest about their personalities?
the narrators reflections suggest that she is primarily concerned with status, which conflicts with the doctors humble intentions.
the doctors excuse for the marriage proposal shows that he is ultimately selfish, while the narrator depicts herself as altruistic.
the narrators musings suggest that she has conflicting desires, seeking both romance and security.
the narrators conflicted emotions hint that while she had previously hoped the doctor would propose, she is now having second thoughts.
The narrator's musings show she is drawn to the practical offer of "safety - and a Comfortable Home" (suggesting a desire for security) but also rebels against it due to her "love of romance" (indicating a desire for romantic love). The doctor's proposal, while perhaps not the most romantic (he mentions a wife being a "great help" to a General Practitioner), shows he is honest in his feelings as the narrator later realizes he was "honestly in love with me".
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The narrator's musings suggest that she has conflicting desires, seeking both romance and security.