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How I Met My Husband Theme

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“A good man is hard to find.” This quote by Flannery O’Connell really embodies the two stories I am comparing. “How I Met My Husband” by Alice Munro and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates both tell the story of a young girl’s innocence being ripped away from them and being taken advantage of by deceptive and older men. These stories have drastically different outcomes; however, they share very similar themes and messages. Young girls and boys are being taken advantage of everyday around the globe. These stories shed a light on this issue. “How I Met My Husband” is very straightforward and not complicated. Alice Munro discusses a theme that young girls and women have a desire for fulfillment in their lives. The focus of this theme is mainly expressed through Edie, as her desire and inclination to go after what she wishes for, Chris Watters, becomes a situation of self-deception and being taken advantage of. Alice Keller, who is Chris Watters fiancé, is in a comparable situation that Edie will eventually encounter later in the story. Alice pursues and wants a …show more content…

On the surface, it is a story of rape and potential murder with a lot of suspense building up throughout. On a deeper, more figurative level, it symbolizes the theme that connects these two stories together. This is a story of lost innocence as well, however, the innocence is taken in a far more brutal and disgusting way. I think that the screen door symbolizes the bridge between childhood and adulthood, between dreams of love from a young naïve girl and the ruthless reality that is adult sexuality. When Connie pushes the door open, she crosses into the “vast unknown” that is mentioned in the story. She was forced to shut the door on her childhood. Arnold Friend lures by threatening her and her family, but also false promises to teach Connie about

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