We reap what we sow. This is a concept that many people in history and literature have struggled with. In The Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever, Blake, the main character, spends most of the story trying to run from a woman that he used to know. We do not know why in the beginning but we eventually come to find that he had treated her badly and now she has come back to make him own up to what he did. When she finally catches him on the train he hopes he might find help from his two neighbors on the train with him. However they choose to ignore him as they feel no love for him. Blake burns many bridges throughout this story which leaves him as empty and alone as the shop he sees while trying to elude Miss Dent. When Blake first meets Miss Dent, he hires her as his secretary. This is a big deal for her as she alludes to having mental problems and as such has trouble finding work. This of course goes over Blake's head as he doesn't care much for anyone but himself. In just a few short weeks of working together he decides he wants to sleep with her. After propositioning her with a drink, she invites him to her place with little hesitation. After their tryst, he is completely oblivious to her crying in the bathroom. He's satisfied, why should he worry about how she feels? Following this, he has her fired while she's out to lunch and tells the building not to let her in again. To him it's the sensible thing to do. With barely a thought he throws her away, takes her job, and ruins her reputation. All without even facing her himself. It's this carelessness that leads to his downfall. The next time he sees Miss Dent is as he's leaving work several months later. He has completely forgotten about her and can't think of why she would have any business with him.  And yet the sight of her makes him anxious though he tells himself he doesn't know why. It's here that Cheever uses the imagery of the scene to hint at what's to come for Blake. He leaves t