Dorothy Parker’s short story “Lady With a Lamp” exhibits the sorrow a lady named Mona has as her nameless friend prods into her feelings. The story makes a suggestion that women should tell each other how they are feeling from whatever kind of illness they have as the unnamed character ask many questions to Mona. This form of questioning only makes Mona feel worst about the sad situation she is experiencing. For example, the nameless character chats on to say “ All right Mona, then you’re not sick. It that’s what you want to say. Even to me, why all right, my dear. People who are aren’t sick have to stay in bed for nearly two weeks I suppose; I suppose people who aren’t sick look the way you do” (Parker 144). This idea presents feelings of the nameless character acting as though she is only interested in expressing her views and not how Mona sincerely feels about the nature of her illness.
The story is a one-sided conversation mainly from the nameless character as Mona lays in her bed in a deep state of silence for several days. Mona prefers the silence of her room and is saddened even more with the frenzied way of the nameless character as she babbles on. For example, “Never letting me know you were ill. Never a word to your oldest friend. Darling, you might have known I’d understand, no matter what you did” (Parker 144). This quotation justifies that the nameless character has something to say about everything in Mona’s and talks without thinking. I think the nameless character should not have voiced her opinion on how she thought Mona was feeling and not ask so many personal questions as though she is the queen of knowledge.
The nameless character could care less about how Mona feels only telling her views on how a woman should live her life finding a man with good qualities and have babies. Mona is feeling hopeless after her boyfriend of many years left her only to learn from the nameless character ...