In the short introduction of the story, Wolff mentions: "Helping with the dishes was a way of showing how thoughtful he was", (1356) which shows the initial nature of the couple's relationship: care. The caring nature of the couple's relationship is again evident when the wife cuts her hand and the husband “runs upstairs to the bathroom and rummages in the medicine cabinet” (1357). These two cases provide the reader with the idea that the couple, especially the husband in this case, cares deeply for each other. While this statement rings true, household details also serve an alternative purpose: symbols. As the conversation begins to become more heated, Wolff demonstrates how "he was piling the dishes on the drainer at an incredible speed, wiping them only with a cloth" (1356). Wolff's attention to this detail shows how his wife's frustration is growing and eventually leads her to stab her finger. The water in the sink, “flat and grey” (1357) symbolizes the essence of their conversation: dark and aimless. Towards the end of the story, the husband cleans the house as it was when they first moved in, which symbolizes how their relationship is going back to the beginning when they were