Analysis of 'Blackberries'

I will start by getting into the title, then the narrator and point of view, then I will go into the characters, and the symbols and repetition (language), and last but not least I will see how the story fits into a modern style of writing.

Title

Blackberries can be interpreted as a symbol of life; the husband eats the blackberries slowly, in order to feel their taste, while the wife eats them two or three at a time, almost greedily. If we take this into consideration, we can say that the title – “Blackberries” – becomes symbolic of the two different personalities of the spouses: the man wants to enjoy life and take it one step at a time, while his wife rushes and fails to enjoy the small things. At the same time, the blackberries may also be seen as a symbol a lack of sexual activity in their relationship. I’ve choices to base my analysis with the last one.

Narrator and point of view

The third-person narrator seems to have knowledge regarding the feelings of the characters. For example, the narrator knows that the husband wants to make the blackberries last, which can be seen on page 1 in line 20: “He rummaged through the kitchen box and found a spoon, then began to eat his berries slowly and carefully, making them last”. He also knows that the woman still has endearing feelings for her husband, on page 2 in line 24: “The sun passed its zenith and she saw a stripe of shadow appear on the grass beside her husband, a silhouette slim as a boy, tender as memory.”