The Storyteller

According to the story’s themes, what is “good” and how does one know? Is there a singular definition of “good” at all?

Consider the question of the point of goodness. The narrative offers two possible conclusions to the question: that there is no point, or that goodness should be its own reward. Which conclusion is more believable, both within the narrative and within your own life? Use textual evidence as well as personal experience to explain.

Though the aunt calls the bachelor’s story “improper,” she does not explicitly state why. Based on the aunt’s attitudes and the story’s themes, what about the bachelor’s story would make it improper in the aunt’s opinion? Research Edwardian social expectations and values to strengthen your argument.

At the end of the story, the aunt claims that the bachelor has undermined years of the aunt’s teaching. Is the aunt right to be irritated with him for it? What does it say about the aunt’s lessons if they can be undermined so quickly? Use both the text and your own experiences to support your answer.

The bachelor’s offer to take over storytelling duties from the aunt could have several possible motives/intentions. What might those motives/intentions be? Which seems most likely and why?

Which of the conflicts presented in the story is the most central, and who is the victor in this conflict? Support your argument with evidence from the text.

In what ways do the two main stories contained within “The Story-Teller” (Bertha’s tale and the frame story of the people on the train) parallel one another? How might these parallels support or contradict the story’s themes?

What do the story’s themes indicate about Munro’s general attitude toward society in Edwardian England? How might his personal life have influenced these attitudes and their reflection in his writing?