The Temptation of Two Response

I think the theme of The Temptation of Two is the love for adventure. Rogers wrote at the end of the story that “safety is not why I do.” She would go on a trip whether someone was going with her or not, and she found both situations to be pleasant. What really initiated her was, in fact, the desire to keep going and feel the excitement of taking the challenge, the desire to adventure and enjoy the adventure. Also, Rogers said that a journey in two was an “adventurous possibility”; she thought it was dangerous as “the temptation of two was dismantling my edifice of one,” but it also brought her exquisite satisfaction. In my opinion, it is Rogers’s love for adventure led to the temptation of traveling in two: Alone, Rogers enjoyed the adventure itself; With someone, Rogers enjoyed being adventurous with another person.

Throughout the story, Rogers used contrary words back to back quite frequently to describe a situation. For example, on page 162 Rogers wrote that the only thing to fear was the cold of ice, but in where she was the water was tepid. The use of contrary words effectively and logically addressed the idea to the reader and showed the author’s precise use of language. Also, I like how Rogers used adjectives that related to common sense to describe a scene. She used “we’re-still-kids competitiveness” when first narrated the competition with Emily, and later on she used “billowing beige mess” when depicted the plant in St. Lawrence. It created familiarity to the reader and also presented vividness.