5. Read the passage. “I am a business man,” the shoemaker abruptly said to conceal his embarrassment, “so I will explain you right away why I talk to you. I have a girl, my daughter Miriam—she is nineteen—a very nice girl and also so pretty that everybody looks on her when she passes by in the street. She is smart, always with a book, and I thought to myself that a boy like you, an educated boy—I thought maybe you will be interested sometime to meet a girl like this.” He laughed a bit when he had finished and was tempted to say more but had the good sense not to. How does this passage from “The First Seven Years” by Bernard Malamud contribute to the story’s main idea? It shows that Feld places business ahead of love. It shows Feld’s belief in education for advancement. It shows that Feld knows he’s making a bad decision. It shows Feld’s desire for a better life for Miriam
