"The Terrors of Basket-Weaving" unfolds as the sad account of a woman named Diane. Throughout the short story she is unsure of her identity. She realizes her uncertainty after she repairs this basket that she found on a beach. The basket gives her psychological troubles that she is too afraid to bring up with her husband Reg. These troubles, that strongly bother her, relate to the fact that they never had children. And this is what causes her to question her identity. The basket reminds her of not having children, because the shape of the basket resembles the shape of a baby's cradle.
             When the characters are first introduced to the story, the author points out that the married couple does not have children. The author also states that they do things that most married couple do together, on their own. For example, Diane and Reg took long walks on the beach. After that the author would state that they are alone. That could only mean one thing for a couple, no kids. It seems that being alone was to show the reader, that Diane is lonely, and needs someone else to enjoy her company, like children. A sign of her loneliness can be due to the fact that she collects shells and puts them in bottles every time she goes to the beach. These actions seem as boredom because of the repetitiveness of her routines. She would collect so many shells that she was forced to throw them out, because "she didn't want the shack to become a magpie's nest" (49 The Black House). This is when the reader is introduced to the basket.
             When Diane discovers the basket it was in rough condition and immediately reminded her of a baby's cradle. She wonders about the past of the basket, and ponders on where it may have come from. Diane decides to take the basket home and repair it for her own satisfaction. She refurbishes the basket very quickly making it look "splendid." Although she was amazed from ...