# I Can’t Breathe explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

A young woman, staying at an inn with her aunt and uncle while her parents are abroad, records her diary entries. She is engaged to Walter but finds herself attracted to Frank, a charming man she meets at the inn. After a ride with Frank, he proposes and she jokingly agrees, but he takes it seriously. She is now torn between Walter, Gordon (a former fiancé), and Frank, and is anxious about how to resolve the situation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Marriage and Gender Roles

Ella's engagement and the pressure to marry at a young age, along with her mother's disapproval, highlight societal expectations for women in the 1920s.

### Alcohol and Escapism

Frank's drinking and the use of cocktails as a social lubricant reflect the escapist tendencies of the era, and Ella's own romantic fantasies serve as a form of escape.

## Character check-ins

### Ella

The narrator, a young woman engaged to Walter, who becomes entangled with Frank and Gordon.

### Walter Donaldson

Ella's fiancé, who sends her romantic night letters and is worried about her lack of communication.

### Fitz

Frank, a charming man at the inn who proposes to Ella and believes they are engaged.

### Gordon Flint

Ella's former fiancé, who returns from a trip around the world and rekindles his feelings for her.

## Key lines

> I can’t breathe.

I feel overwhelmed and suffocated by my emotions.

_Ella repeatedly uses this phrase to express her intense feelings of love and anxiety._

> I simply can’t live and I know I’ll never sleep tonight.

I am so distraught that I feel I cannot go on, and I am certain I will be awake all night.

_Ella's dramatic reaction to the predicament with Frank shows her youthful emotional intensity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/i-can-t-breathe
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters