One Basket

"One Basket" by Edna Ferber is a set of stories that show the lives of women in a small American town long ago, looking at what it meant to be a woman then, what society expected, and how they changed as people. Many of the stories are about women, like Blanche Devine, who are trying to find their place in a world that already has rules for them. The story of "One Basket" starts with Blanche Devine, who is trying to start over in a small town because of her past. She buys a nice house and tries to live a normal life, but the different ways her neighbors react show how hard it is for her. Even though she wants to fit in, she is still seen as an outsider, which shows how difficult it can be to go back into society and deal with what people think. This beginning sets the stage for all the stories to come, focusing on the complicated lives and feelings of Ferber's characters.