Character Analysis
While Enid represses her emotions like a fart on a first date, Sylvia is eager to tell Enid her most intimate struggles.
Sylvia has gone through some tragic experiences over the past few years—specifically, her daughter was murdered by a former art student who is currently days away from execution. To make things worse, her husband has decided to stop acknowledging the murder altogether.
And that's not even to mention the odd personal growth she's gone through since the murder. Although she had been a decorative artist in the past, Sylvia now only paints guns; as for her daughter, she now realizes that she "had not been a good artist" (4.687). Sylvia felt ashamed about these things at first, but time has allowed her to make peace with these unpleasant truths.
Can you see the similarities? Enid "would have sooner died than admit that her own children disappointed her" (4.662)—a direct echo of Sylvia's feelings about her daughter's artwork. Similarly, both women are dealing with husbands who would rather repress their emotions than deal with them in a constructive way.
So how does Sylvia manage to get out of her rut? Well, to be honest, she's only halfway out—her husband still won't acknowledge their daughter's death and probably never will. But the important part is that she's honest with herself, at the very least. Everyone has conflicting emotions at times, but so many of us bury the unpleasant ones because we're ashamed.
But here's the thing about things that get buried: It's just a matter of time until they sprout to the surface.