Theme. A theme is a central idea in a literary work. Theme is different from subject or topic. The themes of a literary work are the statements the work makes about life, society, human behavior, or the world. Sometimes the theme of a work is directly stated, but most often, the reader must explore the elements of the literary work—characters, setting, and plot—to discover the theme or themes. Literary works commonly address universal topics that people around the world share—things like love, death, family, friendship. Consider, for example, the Greek myth about King Midas, a king who wishes that everything he touches will turn to gold and whose beloved daughter turns to gold when she hugs him. Possible themes for this story might be: excessive material wealth can actually make a person poor in other ways; love for one’s family is worth more than all the gold in the world. As you read “A Secret for Two,” think about what this story says about the universal topics of friendship and familiarity.
Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is the act of hinting at events that will happen later in a poem, story, or play. As you read, pay attention to things said by or about Pierre Dupin. Some of these details subtly suggest about Pierre something that the reader doesn’t find out until the end of the story. Jot down any hints within the story that cause you to suspect something about Pierre.
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• Geography Connection. This story is set in Montreal, the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Quebec was settled by the French during the 1600s and 1700s. Even though the territory came under British rule in 1763, few British settled there until after 1800. Even today, about 80 percent of the population of Quebec is French Canadian, and French traditions, language, and customs dominate.
• History Connection. The main character in this story is a person who delivers milk using a horse and wagon. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, even though gas-powered automobiles had been invented, most people still depended on the horse and wagon to get things from one place to another. During those times, milk was delivered daily to each family. In the 1920s, many horse-drawn delivery wagons were replaced by small trucks, and with the change from iceboxes to refrigerators, milk could be delivered twice a week rather than every day. Home delivery of dairy products became much less common in the 1950s with the coming of easy-to-reach supermarkets.
Identify a routine that you practice daily or weekly. In your journal, describe your routine, how long you’ve practiced it, how it started, why you do it, and what would happen if you suddenly couldn’t keep this routine anymore.
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