Respect

I think that the theme of the story is all about human relationships and how Marie believes she should be treated vs. the reality in which she is treated in every day situations. Not only treated with in the interactions of people, and the government, but how she treats herself as well. The fact that she is always so overcautious (taking the knife, wearing a coat, being early) clearly reveals that she doesn't feel that she can trust people enough to treat her with enough respect so she expects the worst at all times and in all situations. Of course Marie being an African American woman is the main cause for being more prone to inequality; not to mention the fact that she is and old woman and essentially disabled (blind in one eye). People judge, take advantage, and react in certain ways to certain people due to all of those reasons.

I think one important symbolism to realize due to the respect she has for herself, has to do with the voice recordings and the guilt that presides from slapping the woman (not apologizing). She hates the sound of her voice and is ever conscious of that guilt that comes along with not apologizing to the woman that she slapped in the face. She knows that "she wasn't raised that way" and she is hard on herself because she is realizing that she is being hypocritical to the fact that she wouldn't want to ever be treated that way, and yet she acted in that exact manner. When listening to her voice she is reminded of the person she was raised to be as well as the other influences in human relationships that she has has in her life which don't seem to be traced with any respect (ex-husbands, where are her kids?...)

I think the reason that the death of Wilamena's boyfriend is so profound on Marie is because she feels like someone does respect her and in a sense needed her there (Wilamena asked her to, he held her hand, vented to her with his last dying breaths) those last moments of his death; in which it surprises her and thoughts spur within her mind because has not often felt that experience before. He also reminds her of what people are made up of and where people come from (telling his story) and he is identifying that people are different in all aspects of respect determining where they are from and how they grew up--just like her voice recording relay to her. Just as the example of calling Mrs. Wise and hearing from the phone what kind of literal and implied "background" she was coming from--it changes your viewpoints on people.