How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
How was he to explain that he wished to possess his grief all by himself, without tainting it by any foreign substance and without sharing it with any other soul? (6).
Chorb’s "quest" to "re-create" his wife reflects a sense of guilt on his part. He’s trying to punish himself for her death – which is why he revels in his grief and isolation.
Quote #2
It was around eight o'clock of the evening. Beyond the houses the cathedral tower was sharply set off in black against a golden-red stripe of sunset. In the station square stood in file the selfsame decrepit fiacres. The identical newspaper seller uttered his hollow crepuscular cry. The same black poodle with apathetic eyes was in the act of raising a thin hindleg near a Morris pillar, straight at the scarlet lettering of a playbill announcing Parsifal (10).
Even the setting of "Chorb" reflects the grief and isolation of Chorb’s wife’s death. Notice that everything is dark, as though in mourning.
Quote #3
Chorb remembered that she whom he never named liked to take rides in cabs (11).
It’s interesting that Chorb’s refusal to use his wife’s name is reflected in the narration (we never hear her name).
Quote #4
Now he knew what must be done. His quest, however, lasted a long while: This was a quiet and chaste town, and the secret by-street where one could buy love was unknown to Chorb. Only after an hour of helpless wandering, which caused his ears to sing and his feet to burn, did he enter that little lane—whereupon he accosted at once the first girl who hailed him (20).
Look at the language used to describe Chorb seeking out the prostitute: "quest," "helpless wandering" – these are epic words. They almost remind us of the Orpheus myth or something…
Quote #5
Blinking and cautiously stretching out her bare arm, she palpated a woman’s dress, a stocking, scraps of silk—all this stuffed in anyhow and smelling so nice that it made her feel sad (32).
Chorb’s melancholy has pervaded the story’s entire setting – even simple objects in the hotel room reflect his grief.