# VIII: The Feast explained — Wired Love

> Chapter companion for Wired Love by Ella Cheever Thayer.

## What happens

Nattie, discontented with her routine, discusses ambition with Cyn, who suggests enjoying life's small pleasures. They plan a private feast in Cyn's room, using improvised utensils and hiding it from Mrs. Simonson. Meanwhile, Nattie has a tense encounter with a handsome stranger at the telegraph office. Quimby asks Cyn if he can bring a friend to call. The chapter culminates in the two women preparing a bohemian meal together, with the cat Duchess as an observer.

## Themes in this chapter

### Ambition and Discontent

Nattie confesses her ambition to be a writer and her discontent with daily routine; Cyn shares her own philosophy of seizing opportunities.

### Female Independence and Self-Support

The two women create their own private feast, improvising with limited resources, demonstrating self-reliance and camaraderie.

### Gossip and Social Surveillance

Nattie and Cyn worry about Miss Kling discovering their secret cooking; they take precautions to avoid being caught.

## Character check-ins

### Nathalie Rogers

Feels ambitious and discontented; plans and helps cook the feast with Cyn; has a sharp encounter with a young man at the telegraph office.

### Cyn

Hosts the feast in her room; offers philosophical advice about enjoying life; skillfully avoids Miss Kling while fetching dishes; agrees to Quimby's request to bring a friend.

### Quimby

Stops Cyn in the hall to ask about bringing a friend to call; appears preoccupied and unobservant.

### Betsey Kling

Mentioned as a potential snoop; is napping during the dish retrieval, so does not discover the feast preparations.

### Celeste Fishblate

Mentioned as one who pushes herself into intimacy with Cyn's circle.

### Jo Norton

Mentioned as being strangely attracted to Cyn's company, though he claims to have no sentiment.

## Key lines

> I am ambitious for fame! I want to be a writer; but when I think of the obstacles in my way to an opening, even, in that direction, I am daunted.

Nattie longs to become a famous writer but feels discouraged by the many barriers she faces.

_Reveals Nattie's deep-seated ambition and her sense of helplessness._

> We will call our contrivance a coffee-urn; it sounds aristocratic

Nattie suggests they pretend their makeshift coffee pot is an elegant urn to make the meal feel fancier.

_Shows the playful, improvisational spirit of the feast._

> I have a little gas stove—low be it said, lest Mrs. Simonson hear and bring in a terrific bill for extra gas!

Cyn admits she has a hidden gas stove and warns Nattie not to let the landlady find out, or she'll be charged more.

_Highlights the secrecy and financial constraints of boarding house life._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wired_love_se/chapters/viii-the-feast
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wired_love_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wired_love_se/chapters