My reaction to Chapter 1 - The woman on the street

The author's beautiful contrasting expression of the two figures was what struck me the most in the story. In the expression on Jeannette, I was amazed by how her habits such as taking a taxi to head to a party and putting on Vivaldi to calm down, are smooth enough to make us readers imagine as if it had been her daily life. Moreover, the adjectives to describe the surrounding furniture brought this point further. This included her "silent" apartment, the sound of heels on a "polished" floor, and an "overstuffed leather" armchair. The author describes the surroundings to unfold the situation Jeanette has been put into, which slowly makes contrasts with the situation her mother is being into. 

In the case of her mother, I wondered if she is making a choice on purpose either to become homeless or not asking for any help even when Jeanette offers one. She may be doing it on purpose, as she sounded educated from the fact she was familiar with Picasso and Vivaldi, to teach successful Jeanette that money is not everything. Yet, from Jeanette's point of view, she would feel it as a burden. I would not definitely like it if my mother was to act just like Jeanette's mother. The mystery may be revealed once I read more into the texts.

I have realized that many of the expressions were common factors in the US. For instance, Park Avenue was not familiar to me, and I did not know it was meant to represent the high-classness of Jeanette. Being calm in the house was too normal in Japan, that I did not recognize the unusualness of having one at home in New York. I expected such expressions to appear later in the story too, yet I am not very sure if I could spot them correctly.