In the story, the narrator wonders "at what point did [her mother] become so small in her living of
life?" What do you think it means to be "small" or "big" in the living of life? Do you think living the
way she does makes the narrator's mother happy? Why do you think the narrator is so critical of
the way her mother lives her life?
ou think the story is titled "Safety of Numbers"? How does the title help you understand