The Short Story Janus By Ann Beattie

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In Ann Beattie’s short story “Janus” there is great dispute on the significant role Andrea’s bowl plays in the midst of her life. In the beginning the audience is led to believe that the bowl is a mere adoration of an important keep sake. Beattie starts the story off with “the bowl is perfect” and I don’t think I was the only reader who immediately questioned what made this bowl perfect (69). However, we learn the bowl came from a craft fair and it was “not the sort of thing that would inevitably attract a lot of attention” (69). So, my initial thoughts were the author was suggesting that things in life don’t need outward appeal to be described as perfect. Beattie successfully shows the increasing infatuation of the bowl as the story continues and allows readers …show more content…

We gain insight that the bowl puts distress on her marriage because her husband has no interest in the bowl. In addition, their relationship is boring and described as comfortable (70). This leads us to justify Andrea’s obsession with a material object because it sounds much more intriguing than her marriage. In addition, on page 72 we learn that she was with a “lover”, in secret, when she received the bowl as a gift from him. This new piece of information instantly changed my mind on the significance of the bowl. I understood the underlying juxtaposition between the bowl and Andrea’s private life. The first glance, shown to us on page 71, exclaims when she questions “could it be that she had some deeper connection to the bowl” (71). We see several examples where the bowl is perfect and in opposition her marriage is not. Also, she fears to lose the bowl but when is forced to choose a relationship she does not seem harmed by losing her lover (72). Ultimately this bowl has begun to consume her life and there is definitely a difference in priorities and what is important to

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