Jealousy In Watching And Waiting By Morley Callaghan

“The spirit of envy can destroy; it can never build” - Margaret Thatcher. Jealousy and envy are horrible human traits which stem from insecurity, strife, bitterness, and obsessive caring and can lead humans to do sinful things. Morley Callaghan’s short story “Watching and Waiting” depicts Thomas Hilliard, an envious husband who feels neglected by his wife, and wishes to receive the same affection she shows to others. However, due to his feeling of jealousy, Mr. Hilliard loses trust in his wife and believes that she is cheating on him. Ultimately, his mistrust in her ends up destroying their relationship and ends up destroying the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard. In “Watching and Waiting,” Callaghan explores the idea that the nature of envy
Mr. Hilliard is displayed as an envious husband obscured by the thought of his wife cheating on him. His feelings of jealousy are so strong, that he begins “to spy on her” and continuously watch his wife to “justify his lack of faith in her” (Callaghan 24). Eventually, these actions frighten Mrs. Hilliard and make her feel lonely and miserable. This lack of trust destroys love, joy and amity from their marriage, and his jealous character ends up being the very reason of his death at the end of the story. Second of all, the author uses indirect characterization to reveal the harmful effects of envy in a relationship. For example, when Thomas hears “the way the laughter pour[s] out of [Mrs. Hilliard], and the look of pleasure on the young man's face, [it makes] him tense with resentment" (Callaghan 21). As Thomas views how much happiness Joe Whaley brings to his wife, he becomes full of jealousy and hatred. He claims that he has not “heard [her] laugh like that for such a long time” and accuses her of cheating on him with Mr. Whaley. This exemplifies that Mr. Hilliard is insecure of his wife talking with Mr. Whaley, as he believes that Joe is a threat to him. Seclusion and isolation drive Mrs. Hilliard to become miserable and lonely. As for this reason, she seeks the attention of her neighbor, Joe, to relieve her from her desolation. Essentially, the seclusion Mrs. Hilliard faces living with Thomas, ruins her relationship with him and damages the rapport between them. In the end, Thomas destroys his relations with his wife because of his strong jealous character. Through the use of direct and indirect characterization of Mr. Hilliard within the story, one can witness the dangerous effects of envy in marriage and