Why didn't the snobbish potatoes want their daughter to marry a news broadcaster?
Final answer:
The snobbish potatoes didn't want their daughter to marry a news broadcaster due to societal status and job hierarchies. They, representing elitist attitudes, perhaps perceived news broadcasting as a lower-status job and favored a hardworking, traditional mate for their daughter. This aligns to the woman in the retelling who felt threatened by education and knowledge.
Explanation:
The question posed about the snobbish potatoes not wanting their daughter to marry a news broadcaster is a figurative and humorous way to examine character stereotypes and societal expectations. In this instance, the snobbish potatoes could be seen as representing upper class or elitist attitudes, seeking an equally 'high-status' partner for their daughter.
They may have been averse to the idea of their daughter marrying a news broadcaster because they could perceive it as a job with lower status compared to what they deemed acceptable. The reference to the widowed mother favoring a future son-in-law with traditional, hardworking values, as indicated by the desired 'rough hands', reinforces the idea of societal class distinctions and preferences.
The second part of the passage introduces a woman who shows resistance towards education, particularly shown through her reaction to someone reading a newspaper, which could symbolize the 'News Broadcaster'. This woman's attitude towards education and knowledge, symbolized by the newspaper, reflects a fear or insecurity about the potential threat that education or a knowledgeable partner may pose to her established worldview or social status, similar to how the snobbish potatoes might view the 'News Broadcaster'.