Again the title is "The Dead" but it hasn't refer to anybody. Julia here could just be an example. or prediction of she got some seriou desease? But in my comprehension, "the dead" means everyone, it may sound horrible but we have to admit that death is the fate that no one can escape from. Although body is warm and life is busy, there is always an end for all the stuff. An unsuccessful intimacy, the envy and annoyance to wife's experience, the sound of falling snow, every aspects of life changes and develops, no matter if we notice them and ourselves.

I really like the paragraph about the love, lust and haze of Gabriel to his wife, it's rare and interesting to find this description of marriage relationship in literature, which seems like the feeling of two young teeangers in love. I mean the passion in a cold winter morning, the intense contrast, warm inside and cold outside, really would make strong impression to readers. I can image the emotion after wine, music and lecture for whole night.

That's the problem almost everyone who has a different culture background with where he/she is in currently will meet. Gabriel just wanted to take his vacation anywhere he was interested in but he was criticized by Miss Ivors for he didn't admire his own culture. This group pf people always sturggle that swift between their original culture and the new culture they need to adapt to. By the way, it 's really upset to meet a people like Miss Ivors in a party, she just won't let you go and keep judging, and which makes everyone feel awkward.

It's so true for the characters worried about the coming date or meeting, I always do that, too. And we have to accept that friends who used to play with us very well in childhood may become strange of unfamiliar with us someday.

So Maria may be a elder and unmarried woman, we can see something from the " disappointed shyness" on her face. It's smart for Joyce to use the words of disappointed and shyness together. It's easy to imagine what the expression looks like. Just like the shy people who have to stay in the corner of a noisy party. Has Maria had a story? By the way the title is "clay", look forward to see something about it below.

There may be a suggestion that Polly and Mr. Doran may have had "real relationship".

I like the metaphor，it's religious but also vivid, young, naive girl, who lives in a big boarding house, meets various people come and leave, the kind of experience will build her in a active and charming, even frivolous way. We can also feel that from the lyrics she just sang.

It's interesting to find that the word "handsome" can be used to describe ladies, does it also mean good looking here?

Here responds the begining, evening invaded the avenue, which may reveal that time has passed and Eveline was waiting for anything?

Poor girl! She was so lonely and she cannot feel any love from her family, that can explain why she wanted to leave her home. In fact, the contradiction like that never stops happening when generations of young people try to separate with their original families, there are various problems in families but there are also their comfort zone.

I really know the feeling of waiting, it's struggle, just as an old Chinese idion said "a hunderd of paws are scratching the heart". In my opinion, the reason that the hero of the story wanted to go Araby so terribly not only because he was interested in, but the girl he loved. He dreamed to walk on place which she liked and buy a present to her.

It's interesting that the title is _"The Sisters"_but there are few sentences about the sisters, insteadly, the perspective is a man and the whole story is talking about the death of Father O’Rourke.

The tour is really like the The Adventure of Tom Sawyer. Young, naughty boys run away from home on weekends and make an adventure.

What a reason! It's quite unbelieveable! She'd company her lady for whole life rather than marry the man she loved and build her own life.

I feel that her grandpa has made her as a Lucky Cat or mascot, that why he was so angry about her cutting her hair, it's so curel and bloody for an adult to treat a little girl in this way.

Old Mr. Neave was so stressful, he cannot feel the love and care from his wife and daughters. He has built nice environment for them and them take it for granted without bringing their old father.

It's hard to say whether his appearence is a gift or burden given by God, on one side, a handsome fellow will definitely live more smoothly in his life; but on the other side, people cannot treat him normally, which was very negative to a boy's growing, and it was diffcult for hime to grow up as a honest man.

The sad music revealed the curel fact that time passes and no one could escaping from getting old.

lyrics were really like the love and the heartbreaking of Miss Meadows! Winter comes to replace summer soon and pleasure and roses pass away soon, too. She was like a little jealous of her students, young and beautiful, "bubbling", pink, just like the roses which are blooming.

Mainsfield was amazing! She did so well in describing the mental world of girls. I always have the feeling like"what about flying out of windows now to escape from the awkward situation now?" I have waiting for long time at my first ball ( not a formal one) and it was really, really hard.

The psychological activities of the young girl are so real! I really know the feeling when young girls enter a new environment, meet different and interesting people, especially boys. Teenagers always want behave like adults but they are still curious and nervous.

It can explain their sadness before, the grandma and Fenella have just lost a family memeber, maybe it was Fenella's mother.

The sea wind appeared again, it may be the symbol of something the young girl, is it fear to the unkown voyage, or freedom?

William's beautiful impression of his wife is an image of a teenager girl ( it's a bit sick by the way), so below, she really behaved like a teenager, hanged out with various men without caring her husband's feeling, relying on her husband and never tried to be independent, her husband liked the way she like a doll, so she really became a doll and whole family wouldn't happy, either. That's why we should support feminism.

These imaginary scenes may suggest that William and Isabel's marriage has some problems yet, meeting Isabel every week may has not been a exciting, happy event to look forward, but has become a stressful and confusing routine.

The difficulties of life to people who like this literary gentleman were just like messy room, writing which was hard to continue...But to women like Ma Parkers, life was so true and harsh, they have no place to hide and escape. Those mood which called "petite bourgeoisie" is so pale in front of the true hardness of life. It's the problem of "to be or not to be".

The sad part of Ma Parker makes me think of A True Story, from Mark Twain, the African maid, "Aunt Rachel", she also had a miserable life, but she just talked about her past calmly, even with humor. Ma Parker is kind of like Aunt Rachel, they both were brave and tough working women, life was harsh on them ,but them fighted for themselves and families, that's really moving.

Poor girl! She has no place to go, she doesn't like neither thr casino nor the car, but she has no choice. Senstive persons are easy to feel depressed and painful when they have to stay in the environment they don't like, obviously she belongs to senstive group.

It's ludicrous for a mother to try to bring her young children into a casino，even her daughter shall look down at her, the driving part makes me think of the same plot of Lolita, whose female character is also a young, unpleasant girl.

The poor sisters don't have to ability to command their servant and even protect themselves since their father died. They lived under her father's control so long that they cannot decide by themselves.

I can image the feeling of losing a people, the funeral wasn't the most painful part but the days after it. When people have finished all those stuff, to see the last guest out and begun to tidy up the things, the real sadness would come up. There is no change in surrounding environment but the loved will never be here any more. It's the moment that people realize that "Oh, now I really lose him/her", and the heartbreaking just come as tide. Even though their father was really strict to the sisters, but it was still hard to believe that they have lost their father.

It can be imagined that their living conditions has a obvious drop since their father passed away and the two poor girls have to make living by themselves. They are just like the little mouse, walking around without finding anything.

Compared with her sister and her mom, Laura is a kind girl even though sometimes her ideas are naive. But she still cares about others' feeling even though when most people don't care about their living conditions. She knows it's cruel to play music when other is holding funeral，but her family members are used to it. As Jose said, “If you’re going to stop a band playing every time some one has an accident, you’ll lead a very strenuous life", it seems like entertainment is the only thing in those ladies' life! Her mom also shows the same attitude that the accident was nothing to them. Laura is younger so she has more sympathy for the poor, but it can be predicted is that she may also become a indifferent woman like her sister and her mom.

The workmen are attractive to Laura, even more charming than those young gentlemen she got along with. They are fresh and mysterious to Laura, a young lady who is from the upper class. But the tension between them couldn't make any progress because Laura is just curious about them, we can find that her real attitude to the labor groups in the next parts, she feels nervous and sorry to them when she really stands among them. All she can do to show she can "adapt" to them as a work-girl is "took a big bite of her bread-and-butter" , it could be the rudest behavior she can think of.

Oh how many diamonds can compare with romantic, true love and the happiness they enjoyed this moment? It's amazing for old Betteredge got the information of the marriage of the sweet couple who he saw their growing up. Moonstone disappeared from their life, but they definitely have better time than when they owned it. Someone or some things occurs in our life and they may cannot be owned by us forever, heartbreaking always happens when they leave, but actually there's no difference with the life before they appeared, right? Just keep the precious memory and treat anyone who comes to life carefully.

It's a great summary to Mr. Godfery and it explains the real persona of him, now readers can know who is the biggest villain. It could be one of Sergeant Cuff's accomplishments in the event, and the first investigation started from Godfredy's wife and his furniture, and all other luxuries he got recently, it's really like the investigation of Sherlock Holmes to Professor Moriarty.

The crime has happened one year ago and it doesn't seem like Sergeant Cuff has solved it totally out or kept on it. And he just went on his vacation and moved on? I mean he may was not so good as others' praise. And then he come back to England, made a summary and deduced from Godfery's death. But that deduction part is really smart and helps me understand the whole story.

Ok now even Jennings has falled in love with Franklin, too? Why Franklin is so charming? Just a kidding. But we can tell that Jennings is a helpful guy and he will make the determinate step to solve the crime in the future(actually he proved Franklin's honesty and made Franklin and Rachel come back together), so I think higher of him than Sergeant Cuff. I mean what he has done from the very beginning?

Actually I think he was controlled by those three Indians, with some witchcraft, but the assistant said it was the effect of opium or laudanum, I keep my opinion.

Because he has already known poor Rosanna's love to Mr.Franklin. Why everyone can realize it except Mr.Franklin? Because the gentlemen wouldn't care the feeling and expression of a maid, especially when she was not very pretty. Rosanna died from fear and shame that she thought Mr. Franklin was the theif. So she chose to hide the pajama and suicided, in some degree, she was on the same side with Rachel, they both tried to protect Mr.Franklin and were willling to suffer for him. What the love of women in Victorian Era!

Everyone knows old Betteredge's habit, this scene is touching. The boy left house and grew up outside, when he come back, he found his old friend was waiting for him. It's really a comfort to a returning man. I think of a Chinese poem called A Note on Homecoming "I left home a youngster and returned a senior, Though greyed my temple hair has, change my accent has not. Village children came to greeet me but knew me not, They cheerfully took me for visitor and enquired where I'd come from."

Indians will start a third trying to acquire the diamond, maybe in June, next year. Really patient of them.

The comparsion between Mr.Luker and the Indian impressed me. It's kind of rare to the see that the foreigner from distant Asia could be described as decent and polite (no matter what mind behind the appearance is) in 19th British language. Maybe Mr.Luker is just really annoying?

As Cuff said, Lady Verinder is a smart woman, a young lady who has a huge wealth is dangerous in 19th century, that may make her attracttive to unhonest suitors, who love her money but not herself. The fixed income of Rachel has made her helpless to Alberwhite, so in some degree, Rachel can have more freedom than other wealthy unmarried ladies in choosing a husband.

Such a liar! He is a drama queen and all of his charity were not from his heart. He just enjoys the feeling that he is moving others and acting. I'm glad that Clack had to see the whole conversation.

Mr. Godfrey is really a danger to girls like Clack, acting as a devoted Christian, I hope she wouldn'd fall in love to this guy.

It' interesting to find the first narrative Clack doesn't like Mr.Betterege and his daughter, maybe their performances didn't seem to be decent in Clack's eyes, because she's really religious and conservative, and a little humorous in this story. But actually I can's see anything unnormal or rebellious of Mr.Betterege and Penelope, maybe because he read novel(ROBISON)?

I can feel the conflicts from the conversation bewteen Lucy and Mr. Betterage, he insisted that she should call Franklin as "Mr." but Lucy didn' deign to say this word. It also shows the rules and distinct differences bewteen classed in 19th century. The precious friendship between these two poor girls really moved me, in a society where poor women wouldn't be cared, it's valuable for these words, such as moving to London, living by theirselves. I guess it's early feminism.

We could see the influence of moonstone by Penelope's words. The family was breaking up.

Sergeant Cuff realized the problem of Rachel's departure and Mrs Verinder was upset about his assumption but she eventually agreed with his advice that putting off Rachel's departure. Mrs Verinder tried to protect her daughter but she really didn' know what Rachel thought and she didn't sure if she was the suspect.

And Nancy said Rosanna was late again for dinner and OF COURSE she was at the sand, which means she went there a lot and there was really a relationship with Rosanna and the sand. The sand may be a evidence which can be used latter.

Why Franklin believed that Rosanna knew about the moonstone? Maybe he guessed it from the strange actions and words of Rosanna, or it was a trick to remove others' attention. However, Betteredge tried to protect Rosanna by didn't tell him the past of her , but still Franklin doubt her.

The madness of Rachel happens suddenly, it makes me thinks of the famous Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber, Baoyu, the male protagonist who was born with a jade in his mouth (so his name means "jade" in Chinese). When he lost his jade, he went kind of silly and crazy. So there can be a relationship between jewlery and the mood even life of people. Rachel, as a educated lady from upper status in the 19th century, and she didn't care about jewlery very much before, acted unusual, even rude to others. It could be the influence of the diamond, which makes reader believe the curse.

Grave appeared again, everyone kept saying ominous words this night, it could be understood the effect of the moonstone, may create some magnetic field or something. I can feel the embarssing atmosphere in the dining room.

Penelope felt very happy about the breaking up of Rachel and Mr. Godfrey, maybe she didn't like the gentlemen who were very attracted to women and knew how to please women. The mind was likely to be effected by the values of the 19th century in England, charming was a dangerous quality, young maid didn't want her mistress be puzzled by some men. then we can guess what had happened between Rachel and Mr. Godfrey when they were walking in the ROSE garden, rose is the sybmol of love but it means negative here. Why they went separate and the situation looked like grave? Both rose garden and quicksand have been attached to grave, maybe there are some relationships.