A short story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A short story - Essay Example In those days messages were received and delivered through telegram. Joe learns that his wife is very ill and would not be able to make it till the end of the day. On receiving another telegram he refuses to open it. He later tears the telegram off without reading it because he is afraid to receive bad news. He wants his wife to stay alive. Such is the emotional torture of the short story The Little Wife. Set in an imaginary place in Alabama called Reedyville, The Little Wife, is a lyrical account of the human afflictions. It is reasonably a thespian start when Joe learns of his wife’s sickness. When he receives the telegram and is told that it was waiting for him for two hours, he is not only unable to overcome the news of his wife’s ill-health but also the fact that he was laughing away sharing old stories with the buyer when it must have been waiting for him. This disbelief creates a sense of guilt even in the reader but with an aspect of accusation for Joe. March describes the moment of the arrival of the second telegram rather dramatically. Joe feels â€Å"weak and slightly nauseated† while the unopened telegram is clenched in his hand (March, 1935). The suspense gets on the readers nerves while March allows Joe’s situation to settle in. He hides his fears but he is noticeable by the brakeman who inquires if he is doing fine. March’s candid sty le and the illusory precision of theme give the story an edge over any other writer of his time. He is capable of reflecting the emotions of a heart-wrenched man who is resisting discovering the truth knowing that it may be a strong possibility. As he sees Mrs. Thompkins dressed in black on the other side of the fence, he is still in the denial phase. He waves at her vivaciously acting against his will, trying his best to win cards with nature. March portrays a one-sided picture of a man struggling to reach out to his soul mate who is