Themes and message

The main themes explored by Christine Poulson in her story, “Don’t You Hate Having Two Heads?”, are deceptive appearances and murder. The author’s message is that, sometimes, first impressions are wrong and acting on them might prove to be a mistake.

Deceptive appearances

This theme is illustrated by both Richard and Jessica. On the one hand, Richard comes across as a man in search of an affair, although his main purpose is only to prove that picking up a date in an intellectual place such as a museum is an easy task. For this, Richard hides his wedding ring and engages in casual conversations with Jessica, a stranger. Although he loves his wife, Richard considers pursuing an affair with Jessica, but does not confess the truth once his wife asks him about it:

He wasn’t going to tell her that for a crazy half-hour he had contemplated taking it further. She might guess, but she wouldn’t ask. She wasn’t one of those tedious women who insist on having everything out in the open. (p. 17, ll. 6-9)

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Murder

We must not forget that, above all, the short story “Don’t you hate having two heads” is a crime story. Although a murder is never committed during the two days when the events unfold, it is quite clear that we are dealing with a murderer and a prospective victim. Unlike our first assumptions, Jessica proves to be...

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