In “The Long and Painful Death,” Keegan alludes to Anton Chekhov’s “Betrothed.” Read Chekhov’s work. How is Keegan’s “the woman” similar and different from Chekov’s Nadya? Consider how this reference deepens the themes and character dynamics explored in So Late in the Day. What would be lost from the narrative if this allusion was removed?

Compare and contrast the three main male characters in the So Late in the Day stories. What do these men have in common; how are they different? How do their behaviors impact the women in their lives?

Images of cooking and eating recur throughout the short story collection. Craft an essay that analyzes the narrative, symbolic, and thematic significance of this imagery. How does it relate to notions of domesticity and caretaking?