"Madame Lazarus"

We're going to spend some time in class talking about "Motherlode," particularly about how the opening of McGuane's story creates tone and foreshadows both the humor and the violence that will come. Since we won't probably have time to talk much about "Madame Lazarus," I'd like you to explore that story here. For one thing, since we'll be talking about the beginning of "Motherlode," I'd like you to think about the ending of "Madame Lazarus." The narrator says, "Please don't leave." What happens next? What would Dezi say? What do you think she'll do? What do you think this story is about? Is it about pet owners? Is it about aging? Is it about homosexuality? How would this story be different if it were told from a heterosexual woman's perspective?