I find it interesting that in a collection of stories that often questions the submissiveness/passiveness of women in reality or perception the title story would be “Stone Mattress.” Verna, like most of the other women, carries some kind of male-imposed damage. She has made it her life’s work to kill off men, which she blames the OG Bob for turning her into a murderer. She also manages the greatest “defeat” over the man who damaged her by murdering him. Other female characters have achieved this, but in less sinister and perhaps less direct ways. I feel like Atwood may be asking us to look at all of the women as the true achievers in these tales. Or, as we have also discussed, did an editor simply pick this story to title the collection?

It also became clear to me while reading the last two stories that aging and death are incredibly prevalent themes in this collection. Of course, we have discussed this in class, but the misogyny in this collection has been so obvious that I tended to read the book from a more feminist perspective – which we have also discussed. I think death and old age being so apparent and problematic in the last story is intentional. Atwood is asking us to pay attention to themes by bookending the collection with “Alphinland” and  “Torching the Dusties.” (Or another editor’s choice?!) Assuming that this is intentional, the stories mirror each other through the two POV characters who are a little “off their rockers,” so to speak, yet keenly aware of their circumstances – loneliness, old age, past years, and looming death.

For me, one of the stand-out sections of “Torching the Dusties” is on page 256-257, when Wilma is innocently listening to the news and is hearing a list of natural disasters occurring across the country, which then leads into a listing of main news event that briefly mentions “an old age home has been set on fire by a mob wearing baby masks.” This was  previously foreshadowed on 255 and is later developed on 260. Atwood creates suspense. On page 270, Wilma “eats the chocolate greedily.” I find “greedily” an interesting word choice in the context of the story.

Wilma is also an interesting POV character because she has to rely on others to know what’s occurring around her, yet she does not feel unreliable. I believe that is because although she can’t see and has hallucinations, she is still very sharp and keenly aware of herself and her environment (242, 248, 254, 255, 261).