Alcoholism In Carson Mccullers 'A Domestic Dilemma'

Suspicious Minds There are many people who suffer from alcoholism that have a family history of alcohol abuse. Notwithstanding this predisposition, alcoholics also drink for a variety of other reasons. Some people just like the way the alcohol makes them feel and become addicted to that feeling like a drug. However, for other people, it dulls the pain of their troubles so they use alcohol as a coping mechanism or a stress reliever. In the case of Emily Meadows, the matriarch of Carson McCullers’ short story “A Domestic Dilemma”, I believe Emily used alcohol to cope with a terrible suspicion she had that was not disclosed in the story but minutely alluded to in a Freudian manner and if Martin had been inclined, he could have gotten her

There were times of unexplained malevolence, times when the alcoholic fuse caused an explosion of unseemly anger.” (McCullers 67) In addition to the change he noticed, he was also worried about the children’s well-being under Emily’s supervision while he was at work after an incident where Emily dropped their baby, Marianne, while intoxicated. This should have been a clear indication that it was time for him to step in and try to get Emily help for her alcoholism but Martin does not do that. Instead, he hires a maid so that he can “…dismiss his worries when Virgie [the maid] was at the house.” (McCullers 67) Subconsciously Martin also worries that real harm could come to the children. This is evidenced by the images he sees in his mind of “his children drowned in the river.” (McCullers 71) I believe if Martin truly had Emily’s best interest at heart and was that distressed about his children’s well-being, he would have sought help for Emily’s drinking instead of hiring a maid so someone else would be in the house while he was at work. I think this was done to minimize the chance that Emily might reveal her suspicions to someone in an authoritative position who would be obligated to