In the short story “Mrs. Buell”, Kate learns that everything is not as it seems through a series of events. When one considers certain factors such as abrupt personality change, encounters with unexpected people, and changes in first impression, it can be seen that there are many things to be discovered that may change our impression of one’s being. Kate is startled by Mrs. Buell’s actions when, she hurts her knee while walking into Mrs. Buell’s convenience store. Although, Mrs. Buell shows compassion towards her, Kate can’t quite believe that Mrs. Buell had shown any type of sympathy. This is evident when Kate assumes, “She was probably sorry now that she’d fixed my knee. After all, everybody knew she hated kids.” Her assumptions are confirmed just after Mrs. Buell’s empathetic demeanour alters into one of apathy. The reader notices this when Mrs. Buell commands the boy that comes into her store to "Make up [his] mind or take [himself] off." even though he had only lingered for mere seconds. Nonetheless, Kate never seemed to think much about Mrs. Buell, but she understands that "Selling stuff to kids for a small trickle of …show more content…
Buell when she is informed of her passing away. She wonders if “she had anyone who loved her?” as she recalls “Glo’s voice, talking about her, had been so cold”. In her trail of thought, Kate feels remorse and regret as she wonders “why hadn't [Kate] smiled back?” Kate also feels sadness on a more personal level as she attempts to imagine Mrs. Buell as a child but only comes up with the image of her “putting that band-aid on [her] knee”. This realization, along with the few incidents with Mrs. Buell and her children suggests that Kate recognizes that Mrs. Buell had had her own life to lead and was not simply the convenience store owner, but much more. Kate’s perception of Mrs. Buell changes drastically through her understanding that Mrs. Buell had not always been a hard person, but had a kindhearted side to