What is stress in English language

What is the meaning of the word checking as it is used in this sentence from the second paragraph of the passage?

Read the following passage: sari couldn't believe her bad luck. she had locked her keys in the car. to add fuel to the fire, her cell phone was in the locked car, and she was late for a very important meeting. she knocked on her neighbor's door so that she could ask to use his phone, but he was not not home. what was she to do? what role does the idiom in the passage serve? a. it shows that sari has incredibly bad luck when it comes to work.b. it shows that sari's neighbor was not home either.c. it shows that sari locked her keys in the car.d. it shows that sari's situation was worse than it seemed at first.

In about two hundred words, explain how the author's use of folktales and symbolism add meaning to the story and convey the central theme of the novel: the disintegration of the traditional igbo society as a result of its contact with european practices and beliefs.