One image that can best sum up the sentiment of the heroine in ¡°Theft¡± occurs in the last paragraph, that is, ¡°the cup of chilled coffee¡±. Chilled coffee tastes bitter and cold, and has a strong aftertaste for you to to think about what you have drunk, just like the psychological state the heroine of ¡°Theft¡± was in. In the story, the heroine suffered a strong sense of loss that made her life gloomy and cold, and she was haunted by a sentiment of being spiritually isolated from and materially impoverished by the environment in which she lived. Where does this frame of mind of hers come from? Obviously, the heroine of ¡°Theft¡± has always lived in economic straits. Throughout the story, we can feel the great pressure caused by the economic problems on her. When she wanted to take the Elevated, she ¡°naturally¡± looked into her purse to make certain she had the fare, and ¡°was pleased¡± to find forty cents in the coin envelope. During her conversation with Bill, she kept thinking ¡°about her empty purse and that she could not possibly expect a check for her latest review for another three days, and her arrangement with the basement restaurant could not last much longer if she did not pay something on account.¡± From this we can see clearly that she had great difficulty in making both ends meet in her everyday life and she even lacked the money to pay for her meals. The economic problems that weighed on her mind made her live in a forlorn state and adopt a passive attitude toward life instead of a positive and vigorous one, which can be seen from her giving up her due rights again and again in dealing with other people, such as Bill and the janitress. This kind of attitude of hers in return caused more material losses in her life and caused a strong sense of loss and made her life gloomier and lack vigor.
             The sense of frustration in love prevails in the whole...