Essay on How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro
Analysis of How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro
Deneen Bell
Instructor Heather Altfeld Fisher
125- Introduction of Literature
November 28, 2011
The Analysis of How I Met My Husband
Introduction
In this analysis I plan to show that the first person point of view was used to write this short story. I also want to show that there is more than one theme as well. I would like to show how Edie kept secrets and how she was blinded by love. I plan to show that this story contained secrecy almost to the ending. Alice Munro’s “How I Met My Husband” uses the themes of secrecy and love just about throughout the entire story. In this story Edie is a fifteen year old girl who is employed by the Pebble’s family. She initially succeeds at the job mainly because she withholds information from her employer’s. Munro shows how the theme of secrecy is also shown when Edie hides the box of fresh home cooked doughnuts under the bed. When the children find the doughnuts Edie swears them children to secrecy. Then when Edie is caught in Mrs. Pebble’s dress by Chris Watter’s, she swears him to secrecy, so he will not tell that she was wearing Mrs. Pebble’s clothes. She takes the cigarette from Chris and she does not know how to smoke, but makes him promise that he will say nothing about this either. Munro chose to have a more mature Edie tell this story of her fifteen year old self. However, unlike most first person narratives, she did not choose it to make the reader see and feel only what young Edie sees and feels, though the older Edie does not interfere with the reader’s interpretation of the thoughts and actions of her younger self. For example when Edie admits to being intimate with Chris, the reader is aware of the misunderstanding from the beginning, while Edie becomes upset and does not understand Alice Kelling and Mrs. Pebbles shocked reactions.
In the beginning of the story Munro uses suspense when Edie is dressed in Mrs. Pebbles’ dress and Chris Watter’s appears
Deneen Bell
Instructor Heather Altfeld Fisher
125- Introduction of Literature
November 28, 2011
The Analysis of How I Met My Husband
Introduction
In this analysis I plan to show that the first person point of view was used to write this short story. I also want to show that there is more than one theme as well. I would like to show how Edie kept secrets and how she was blinded by love. I plan to show that this story contained secrecy almost to the ending. Alice Munro’s “How I Met My Husband” uses the themes of secrecy and love just about throughout the entire story. In this story Edie is a fifteen year old girl who is employed by the Pebble’s family. She initially succeeds at the job mainly because she withholds information from her employer’s. Munro shows how the theme of secrecy is also shown when Edie hides the box of fresh home cooked doughnuts under the bed. When the children find the doughnuts Edie swears them children to secrecy. Then when Edie is caught in Mrs. Pebble’s dress by Chris Watter’s, she swears him to secrecy, so he will not tell that she was wearing Mrs. Pebble’s clothes. She takes the cigarette from Chris and she does not know how to smoke, but makes him promise that he will say nothing about this either. Munro chose to have a more mature Edie tell this story of her fifteen year old self. However, unlike most first person narratives, she did not choose it to make the reader see and feel only what young Edie sees and feels, though the older Edie does not interfere with the reader’s interpretation of the thoughts and actions of her younger self. For example when Edie admits to being intimate with Chris, the reader is aware of the misunderstanding from the beginning, while Edie becomes upset and does not understand Alice Kelling and Mrs. Pebbles shocked reactions.
In the beginning of the story Munro uses suspense when Edie is dressed in Mrs. Pebbles’ dress and Chris Watter’s appears
References: Clugston, R.W. (2010) Journey into Literature San Diego, CA. https://content.ashford.edu/books