Story Review
Who is K. in relation to the narrator?
His childhood friend.
Which word means completely fascinated or absorbed?
Entranced.
What emotion makes the narrator run from the approaching wave?
Fear.
What is a symbol in literature?
Something that represents an idea beyond its literal meaning.
What natural disaster leads to the central tragedy?
A typhoon and a giant wave.
Which word describes a situation involving extreme need or little hope?
Desperate.
What does the narrator initially believe about K.’s expression in the wave?
He interprets it as hatred or blame.
What larger idea does the wave represent?
Fear and its power over people’s actions.
How does the tragedy affect the narrator in the weeks afterward?
He becomes ill and suffers nightmares.
What does “profound” mean?
Deep, intense, or meaningful.
Why does remembering K.’s gentle character matter?
It gives the narrator a reason to question his earlier interpret
What moment supports the idea that fear can prevent someone from doing what they believe is right?
The narrator knows he should help K., but he runs away.
Why does the narrator struggle with guilt?
He believes he could have saved K.
A person is so absorbed in watching falling snow that they forget the time. Which vocabulary word describes them?
Entranced.
How does avoiding reminders of the tragedy affect the narrator?
It allows fear to limit his happiness and freedom.
Why does the narrator suggest that other people’s experiences may take a different form from his wave?
Everyone faces fear, but the source of that fear differs.
What helps the narrator begin to reconsider his painful memories?
Studying K.’s artwork reminds him of his friend’s gentle personality.
Explain the difference between sadness and profound sorrow.
Profound sorrow emphasizes unusually deep or intense sadness.
What internal change does the narrator recognize when he returns to the shore?
The fear and darkness connected to K.’s death no longer control him.
How does the narrator’s life illustrate the danger of avoiding fear?
By fleeing his past, he lets fear control his choices and takes away opportunities for joy.