In Henry Slesar’s classic story “The Right Kind of House”, an old widow named Mrs. Grimes puts her tattered home up for sale with an asking price far more than it’s worth. Her real estate agent assumes she needs the money, living alone and all, but in reality, Mrs. Grimes has a complex plan to locate the man who murdered her son Michael, using the family house as bait. She then hopes to due justice to her son by ending the life of his assassin. Throughout this tale, Mrs. Grimes is best described as willing and clever, as she used her unconditional love for Michael and unsuspected intelligence as motivation to find and kill his murderer, putting herself in danger to succeed.
Mrs. Grime’s most prominent character trait is her willingness and
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determination to find Michael’s killer and put him to death, risking her own life in doing so. She was motivated to accomplish this feat because of her unquestioning love for her deceased son. The text states that her house had been on the market for five years and nobody had come near it, but Mrs. Grimes was willing to wait for the right man to show up and buy the house, no matter how long it took. When the suspect finally did arrive, Mrs. Grimes resisted his attempts to lower her selling point, and had the courage to poison him with lemonade, despite the fact that she was an old woman, and he a powerful man. This feat took a lot of preparation, as Mrs. Grimes had to constantly be on the lookout for anyone interested in her house, and possess enough poisoned lemonade to serve her victim. She knew that carrying out her plan put her at great risk, but she was willing to attempt it anyway, as she valued her love for Michael above all else. In addition, Mrs.
Grimes also manifests great cleverness, and used her intelligence as her strongest weapon. As said in the text, her real estate agent, Mr Hacker, assumed the insanely high price of her home was because she needed the money but didn’t want to move. However, in reality, Mrs. Grimes had devised a genius plan to find and kill the man who shot her son Michael, using her house as a trap. When Mr. Waterbury, Michael’s killer, came to Mrs. Grimes in hopes of buying her house, she was prepared to murder him but didn’t give any clues away, which helped her plan succeed. This is a great example of her cleverness, as she took his life without him having a clue. Both Mr. Hacker and Mr. Waterbury assumed she was just a feeble old woman who didn’t want to be bothered, but she was in fact very smart. After serving Mr. Waterbury the poisoned lemonade to ensure he couldn’t escape his death, she told him the real reason why her house was so expensive, stating “‘I knew that, someday, my son’s killer would return. Someday, he would want this hose at any price. All I had to do was wait until I found the man willing to pay much too much for an old lady’s house.’” This shows how well thought out her plan was and how foolish Mr. Waterbury was to think he could take both her son and her house. Mrs. Grimes was a cunning lady and proved that she could defeat a powerful man with her quick wit and unnoticed
intellect. Throughout Slesar anecdote “The Right Kind of House”, Mrs. Grimes’ willingness and clever wit are portrayed through her behavior and voice. She was a devoted mother to Michael, and after witnessing his murder, she risked her own life to take revenge on his killer. She was willing to do whatever it took to track down the man who took her son’s life, despite the fact that she had to wait for five years and carry out the attack on such a powerful man. In addition, Mrs. Grimes also used her unsuspected intelligence and clever thinking to attract the killer and end his life as well. Mrs. Grimes didn’t tell anyone of her plans, and therefore, any act of violence was taken as a surprise. Her plan was so well thought out and unsuspected that he had no idea she was trying to kill him. Mrs. Grimes used her unconditional love for her son to motivate her in carrying out a very dangerous plan, and her willingness to succeed and clever intellect were clearly exhibited through both her words and actions.
Murphy, Edith. "'A Rich Widow, Now to be Tane Up or Laid Downe': Solving the Riddle of
In stories, character complexly is a esential. The Shirley Jackson story “The Possibility of Evil” tells the story of a seventy-one year women named Miss Strangeworth. She’s an unusual character that stems off from status quo. Though it doesn’t mean she completely unique. Regardless, her desires, contrasting traits, consistency, and the ability to change make Mrs.Strangeworth a complex character.
The character Mrs. Wright is portrayed as a kind and gentle woman. She is also described as her opinion not being of importance in the marriage. It is stated by Mr. Hale that “ I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John” .(745) Her neighbor, Mrs. Hale, depicts her as “She─come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself─real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and─fluttery. How─she─did─change”. (752) It appears that Mrs. Wright is a kind and gentle woman, not capable of committing a murder. But, with the evidence provided and the description of Mr. Wright’s personality it can also be said that the audience will play on the sympathy card for Mrs. Wright. She appears to be caught in a domestic violence crime in which she is guilty of, but the audience will overlook the crime due to the nature of the circumstances. By using pathos it will create a feeling that Mrs. Wright was the one who was suffering in the marriage, and that she only did what she felt necessary at the
In Andre Dubus’ short story “Killings,” the character Frank Fowler is violently murdered by his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Numerous readers agree that Richard Strout’s death is the result of revenge; however, Frank’s death is rarely examined. Even though his death is the pivotal point that swings the rest of the story into action, his demise is often overlooked because Richard’s death is so prominently analyzed, calculated, and questioned. So what is the origin of Frank’s murder? Although there are numerous reasons why Frank is killed, one apparent cause is his love for Mary Ann. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from Tim O’Brien’s story, “The Things They Carried,” can certainly attest that the love of a woman is a powerful and blinding emotion. An emotion
In the short story "The Possibility of Evil",by Shirley Jackson, Miss. Strangeworth appears to be a normal old woman that is highly respected among the town, but we soon realize that she has a dark side. She writes letters to people telling them things that are mere suspicion, but have negative consequences to their lives. These events in the plot show the theme that anyone can have the capacity of being evil.
The theme of this story is that one’s determination and courage can defy the impossible. Elizabeth’s recovery and revival have been dedicated to her faith and her remembrance of family. Smart stated she would pray to God in times of need. Her faith kept her alive during these harsh nine months. At her weakest moments, she would recognize the need to survive by acknowledging her family and friends. Smart’s astounding willpower dictated her situation, and it helped her realize that one day she would be no longer under her captor’s imprisonment. When a police officer finally recognized her, she stated, “For a moment, my world seemed to absolutely stop. I looked at him. He looked at me. I felt calm. I felt assured. Months of fear and pain seemed to melt before the sun. I felt a sweet assurance” (Smart 275). Due to her remarkable resilience against her captors, after nine cruel months, Smart was able to be returned to her
Louise, the unfortunate spouse of Brently Mallard dies of a supposed “heart disease.” Upon the doctor’s diagnosis, it is the death of a “joy that kills.” This is a paradox of happiness resulting into a dreadful ending. Nevertheless, in reality it is actually the other way around. Of which, is the irony of Louise dying due to her suffering from a massive amount of depression knowing her husband is not dead, but alive. This is the prime example to show how women are unfairly treated. If it is logical enough for a wife to be this jovial about her husband’s mournful state of life then she must be in a marriage of never-ending nightmares. This shows how terribly the wife is being exploited due her gender in the relationship. As a result of a female being treated or perceived in such a manner, she will often times lose herself like the “girl
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” utilize character responsibilities to create a sinister plot. For Hawthorne, protagonist Young Goodman Brown must leave his wife at home while he partakes in a night journey. For Poe, ancillary Fortunato covets a pretentious manner towards his wine tasting skills, and after being ‘challenged’ decides to prove his expertise by sampling Amontillado. Hawthorne and Poe showcase a theme of darkness but differ in their approach to the setting, characters, and fate of entrapment.
Rat’s friend, Curt Lemon, dies and Rat writes to Lemon’s sister honoring him but sadly the sister does not write back; ironically she ignores Rat because she perceives the story as disturbing and horrible. The reader would expect Lemon’s sister to respond honoring her brother or thanking Rat but ironically she does not respond making all of Rats efforts go in vain. This is sad and Immoral because the sister does not care and O’Brien writes, “...So incredibly sad and true; she never wrote back” (51).
Like in many tragically true stories, it would seem Mrs. Mallard 's freedom came too late. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour” begins by introducing Mrs. Mallard as a person afflicted with heart trouble. The story builds on this by having Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and her husband Richard explain the situation in a very sensitive manner. Their efforts would prove to be in vain however as Mrs. Mallard then proceeds to emotionally break down. The news shocks Mrs. Mallard to her very core and has her at odds with how she should feel now that all was said and done. After coming to terms with her situation, fate delivers its final blow in a cruel and deceitful ploy towards Mrs. Mallards. And with that, Mrs. Mallard 's dies. In her hour of change Mrs. Mallard 's was delicate, thoughtful and excitable.
Mrs. Mallard’s repressed married life is a secret that she keeps to herself. She is not open and honest with her sister Josephine who has shown nothing but concern. This is clearly evident in the great care that her sister and husband’s friend Richard show to break the news of her husband’s tragic death as gently as they can. They think that she is so much in love with him that hearing the news of his death would aggravate her poor heart condition and lead to death. Little do they know that she did not love him dearly at all and in fact took the news in a very positive way, opening her arms to welcome a new life without her husband. This can be seen in the fact that when she storms into her room and her focus shifts drastically from that of her husband’s death to nature that is symbolic of new life and possibilities awaiting her. Her senses came to life; they come alive to the beauty in the nature. Her eyes could reach the vastness of the sky; she could smell the delicious breath of rain in the air; and ears became attentive to a song f...
In conclusion, it was no surprise when Mrs. Mallard is shocked when her husband is standing at their front door. He had missed his train; therefore, sparing his life. When she is making her symbolic descent down the stairs, she spots her husband and realizes that she can never reverse her progress. The “joy” that kills her is the joy that she refuses to surrender, but for one hour she gets glimpse of what true joy is (Jamil 219).
Mrs. Hale’s keen wit and patience contributes to her embodiment of The Fate sister Clotho the Spinner, which is even more evident in her correcting of Minnie Wright’s improper stitching (Russell). Mrs. Peters begins the process of investigation deeply devoted to keeping the law. She doesn’t want any disruption in the house, saying, “I don’t think we ought to touch things” (Glaspell p. 666) when Mrs. Hale began searching for clues. Upon finding the dead canary, Mrs. Peters view on the situation changes drastically, and she decides with Mrs. Hale to hide the tiny dead bird from the men. They both figure that if the dead canary was discovered, Mrs. Wright would be thought to be a mad woman, though it was likely Mr. Wright who killed it.
Louise still seated in her room, manufacturing fanciful new possibilities for the future, is disturbed by her sister calling through the keyhole “For heaven’s sake open the door.” Louise still on an extraordinary high of liberation, snaps back to reality, says a prayer for longevity for all to come, and opens the door. She left that room with a new lease on life, a triumph over subjugation and tyranny, “like a goddess of Victory”. Louise stepped down the stairs, no longer a victim, but a free spirt. Then just unexpectedly as Brentley’s death, the door to the house opened; moreover to Louise’s surprise, it is none other than Mr. Mallard himself, alive and well. Apparently not aboard that fateful wreck, standing there, oblivious of any ill begotten news of his demise.
Amanda, somehow, finds a way to be both selfish and selfless when it comes to Laura. Amanda wants Laura to be happy and successful, but does not understand that Laura is too shy and unmotivated to be either. When Amanda discovers that Laura has stopped going to typing class she is beyond disappointing. When discovered Amanda yells at her daughter saying, “Fifty dollars’ tuition, all our plans- my hopes and ambitions for you- just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.” Laura quit something as simple as learning how to type; this realization struck Amanda because if she cannot do that there is no way Laura could provide for herself without a husband. Mrs. Wingfield’s worst nightmare is is for her children to become dependent on relatives and not being able to take care of themselves. After Laura drops out of typing school Amanda says, “What is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren’t prepared to occupy a position. I’ve seen such pitiful cases in the South—barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister’s husband or brother’s wife!—stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room—encouraged by one in-law to visit another—little birdlike women without any nest—eating the crust of humility all their life!. Amanda had always wanted for Laura to find a nice husband, but then the situation became desperate when the younger women