Skip to main content

What are the internal and external conflicts in "How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro?

In "How I Met My Husband," the external conflict is the love triangle between Edie, Chris Watters, and Alice Kelling. Edie, who is fifteen, is enjoying a flirtation with Chris when Alice, his fiancee, shows up. Chris has a relatively innocent tryst with Edie that Alice finds out about and that causes Alice to erupt in anger. Chris leaves after this tryst, and Edie never sees him again.


The internal conflict revolves around Edie's growing...

In "How I Met My Husband," the external conflict is the love triangle between Edie, Chris Watters, and Alice Kelling. Edie, who is fifteen, is enjoying a flirtation with Chris when Alice, his fiancee, shows up. Chris has a relatively innocent tryst with Edie that Alice finds out about and that causes Alice to erupt in anger. Chris leaves after this tryst, and Edie never sees him again.


The internal conflict revolves around Edie's growing sense of herself as a woman. At the beginning of the story, she tries on a dress that belongs to her employer, Mrs. Peebles, and she wants to feel older and more sophisticated than she is. Her flirtation with Chris is part of this process, and she observes the interaction with Chris and Alice without truly understanding it—or Chris's apparent inability to be committed to a woman—the way an older person would. Instead, she waits by the mailbox to receive the letter she thinks he will write her. She has a realization over time: "Till it came to me one day there were women doing this with their lives, all over. There were women just waiting and waiting by mailboxes for one letter or another" (page numbers vary by edition). Edie has the epiphany that women too often believe what men say and live their lives waiting for happiness that never comes. At that point, she resolves her conflict by getting involved with and eventually marrying the mailman who visits the house each day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more