The washwoman
Recently I read a short story called The Washwoman written by I.B.Singer, who was a Jewish American writer noted for his short stories.
With first-person narration, it tells a story about a washwoman who used to do the washing for his family. Thin and small as she was, this washwoman possessed a strength that came from generations of peasant ancestors. She lived alone;her son was ashamed of his mother and never came to see her. Every a few weeks, she came to his[1] house to take a great deal[2] of laundry. Every piece of laundry was as clean as polished silver. As the writer said, she was a real find. After two months of not coming, this woman appeared again, telling them[1] that she had been so sick so heavy that her son had prepared a coffin for her, but “God had not yet wanted to take this soul full of pain to Himself”,she began to feel better. However, since then, she never came back again.
I like the last sentence, “I cannot imagine paradise without this Gentile washwoman; I cannot even imagine a world where there is no reward for such effort.”
After reading this story, I can feel how the writter loved and respected this washwoman. From the detailed discription of her appearance and her work, we can get a clear picture of this special woman. I like reading short stories because usually they can give us a deep understanding of others, ourselves and society with only simple stories.
red = errors
blue = suggested changes
green = need changes?
grey = spacing
[1] You are switching 'person' from third to first.
[2] Probably not the right phrase. Perhaps 'large pile'?