Redemption is the act of being saved from sin. “Ind Aft” by Fay Weldon is a tawdry tale of a vapid mistress’s redemption. A woman does not become a mistress because she loves herself. In an affair, there is rarely more than lust between the two adulterers. Each person will manipulate and handle the other until the time that one of them gets bored, hurt, or just leaves the imbroglio. In this story, the mistress starts out trying to prove herself morally, intellectually, and physically superior through comparison to others and learns this will not serve her in life. She compares herself to her sister Claire, Peter her lover, and Mrs. Piper, his wife. The mistress shows a sudden speck of maturity but never claims any culpability for her actions. The mistress is proud of her sister Claire, but this doesn’t stop the mistress from taking a few shots at Claire anyway. She admires Claire’s accomplishments and even looks to Claire for approval. Claire’s view of the relationship between the mistress and her married professor is accepting. Claire says, “Just go for it, sister. If you can unhinge a marriage, it’s ripe for unhinging, it would happen sooner or later, it might as well be you.” Ironically, Claire’s lack of judgment makes her the better sister. In addition to Claire’s acceptance of the mistress’s …show more content…
It is not the action of asking forgiveness. This girl has grown wholeheartedly in a moment while telling a lie. Occasionally saying words out loud is the only way to see that they aren’t what you believe them to be. This mistress now has the opportunity to turn that inordinate affection she had for Peter into affection for herself. This story is all about the endings. The ending of an affair and hopefully the ending of childish competitive behavior from this snobby girl. The irony is that this mistress becomes a mistress: a woman who has power or authority, such as the head of a