Answers to Your Questions

The Shining Houses

Alice Munro

1) Alice Munro chose to make the struggle Mary, the protagonist of The Shining Houses, faced the main focus of the story because it can easily be related to the lives of the readers. Mary, like everybody today, was experiencing conflict within herself and with society. What Mary chose to do is what only a few brave souls can do in this day and age; stand up for what she believed in, "I can't sign that" she said to a group of 'friends' that was attempting to exile an old lady whose house is, to them, the epitome of "savagery". I use the word 'friends' ever so cautiously because a true friend is one who does not encourage participation in bad deeds. I believe a community coming together for the purpose of plotting ways to get rid of it's oldest resident is a for of family abuse

2) Whilst reading the descriptions of the newly built houses versus Mrs. Fullerton's, I was instilled with an array of images. To further elaborate; I felt because of the information provided, "Three part mirrors, ceramic tile, and colored plumbing...copper lighting fixtures", these houses were described in a way that made them seem luxurious. On the other hand " Thick smoke... walls unpainted and patched" provided me with a dark and gloomy image of a run down shack, which is past its "best by" date. These descriptions are what try to persuade the reader to side with the young couples, and get rid of Mrs. Fullerton.

3) To truly shine one must be bright inside and out. In the case of Alice Munro, the characters she depicts seem to be dark hearted; however, the houses modern and luxurious. Put simply the next inhabitants of the community do not shine on the inside, but their houses do... for now anyways. Since what was seen as beautiful in the past deteriorates and becomes what we see as hideous. The title is also ironic because it might also mean that the only truly shining house is that of Mrs. Fullerton, will leave with the new inhabitants of the community.