Question

thighs revealed, fatty, dead white, the tops of cotton stockings rolled tight cutting into the flesh. again, streams of shoppers are making a careful berth around her. alone among them nola hesitates, seems about to approach the woman — please dont, nola, please! mrs. dietrich thinks — then changes her mind and keeps on walking. mrs. dietrich murmurs, \isnt it a pity, poor thing, dont you wonder where she lives, who her family is?\ but nola doesnt reply. her pace through the first floor of lord & taylor is so rapid that mrs. dietrich can barely keep up.
72 but nolas upset. strangely upset. as soon as they are in the car, packages and bags in the backseat, she begins crying.
73 its childish helpless crying, as though her heart is broken. but mrs. dietrich knows it isnt broken; she has heard these very sobs before. many times before. still she comforts her daughter, embraces her, hugs her hard, hard. a sudden fierce passion. vehemence.¹³
ola honey, nola dear, whats wrong, dear? everything will be all right, dear,\ she says, close to weeping herself. she would embrace nola even more tightly except for the girls quilted jacket, that bulky l. l. bean thing she has never liked, and nolas stubborn lowered head. nola has always been ashamed, crying, frantic to hide her face. strangers are passing close by the car, curious, staring. mrs. dietrich wishes she had a cloak to draw over her daughter and herself, so that no one would see.

\shopping\ by joyce carol oates. reprinted by permission of john hawkins and associates, inc. copyright © 1997 the ontario review. unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the cc by-nc-sa 4.0 license
¹³ vehemence (noun): the display of strong feeling; passion

paragraph 73

1. what is mrs. dietrich’s point of view of her relationship with nola at the end of the story?

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Explanation:

Mrs. Dietrich sees their relationship as one of deep, protective maternal care. She feels intense affection for Nola, comforts her fiercely when she cries, and even wishes to shield her from strangers' stares. She is familiar with Nola's distress (having heard her sobs before) and is desperate to soothe her, showing she sees herself as Nola's caring, supportive caregiver.

Answer:

Mrs. Dietrich views her relationship with Nola as one of close, protective, loving maternal care: she feels fierce affection for Nola, is deeply attuned to her distress, and is desperate to comfort and shield her.