Grace Paley, "The Pale Pink Roast"


1. Paley's third-person voice offers a few clues as to where the narrator's sympathy truly lies. Which character does the narrator appear to sympathize with more, and how is this effect discerned? What statement about humankind, and about the relationships between men and women, is offered by the title?

2. Paley has claimed that through her process of writing she has tried to "hear other voices," and that this has been partially accomplished by writing "with an accent." What exactly are the voices at work in "The Pale Pink Roast," and how are they written with an accent?

3. Paley's use of everyday language sometimes borders on cliché. How is cliché used in this story, and to what effect? Compare Paley's use of cliché and media language to that of more self-conscious collagists such as Donald Barthelme or Mark Leyner. How does Paley invigorate familiar tropes of language?

4. In what ways does Paley use compression? Consider her compression of plot, of language, of dialogue, and of characterization. What does it mean to compress elements of fiction, what are the advantages of such compression, and what are the disadvantages?

5. How does the tone of the story work with or against its subject matter?