The Grass is Greener...
...Flag today Call tell the definition So clear of Victory As he defeated – dying – On whose forbidden ear The distant strains of triump Burst agonized and clear! This poem describes the Millers in relation to the Stones. The Millers do not have the things the Stones have, and they want to be like them. The Millers perceive the Stones to be more successful—and thus happier—than themselves. Though this may not be true, the Millers have a distorted picture of the Stones’ reality. On the other hand, the Stones probably do not realize how good a life they lead. Thus, they probably do not appreciate their success—they just take it for granted. From the very beginning, Bill is unable to resist snooping in the Stones’ apartment and becomes obsessed with it. During his first visit, Bill found a bottle of Harriet’s pills “and slipped it into his pocket” (59). This bottle of pills is one indication that the Stones’ lives may not be as happy as the Millers perceive them to be. Then, Bill “opened the liquor cabinet […] and reached in back for the bottle of Chivas Regal. He took two drinks from the bottle, wiped his lips on his sleeve, and replaced the bottle in the cabinet” (59). When Harriet asks what kept him, Bill says, “’Nothing. Playing with Kitty’” (60). This spell that overcomes Bill’s better judgment gives his and Arlene’s sex life a boost as well. Obviously, exploring the Stones’ apartment and pretending to be like them is exciting to Bill, as he tells his wife, “’Let’s go to bed, honey’” (60) after he returns from the Stones’ apartment. “The next day Bill took only ten minutes of the twenty-minute break allotted for the afternoon and left at fifteen minutes before five” (60). As he is parking the car, he sees Arlene. “He waited until she entered the building, then ran up the stairs to catch her as she stepped off the elevator” (60). After looking at the door across the hallway, Bill once again tells Arlene, “’Let’s go to bed’” (60). “’Now?’ she laughed. ‘What’s gotten into you?’” (60). The next day, Bill has Arlene call in to his place of employment for him. Bill misses a full day of work to go through the Stones’ apartment. Bill goes through everything he sees, “carefully, one object at a time” (60). When Bill enters the Stones’ bedroom, Kitty appears at his feet, and he puts her in the bathroom. Bill then goes through the Stones’ closets trying on clothes—both Jim’s and Harriet’s. When it is Arlene’s turn to check on the apartment, she tells Bill to “make yourself comfortable while I go across the hall, […] read the paper or something” (61). Bill cannot concentrate while Arlene is in the Stones’ apartment, so he goes across the hall. The door is locked, so he calls to Arlene, “’It’s me. Are you still there, honey?’” (61). “After a time the lock released and Arlene stepped outside and shut the door. ‘Was...