Marriage and Relationships

Much of the story’s narrative and thematic substance revolves around dynamics of marital relationships; in Alice’s case, the story shows how people can be prejudicially defined by scant details of their past relationships. Mr. Waythorn is the point-of-view character, and the story provides only a few details about Alice’s past marriages, as Alice and her ex-husbands have all been quite private about their personal details. This lack of information creates a sense of intrigue, which compels Mr. Waythorn and the general public to speculate about the precise details of Alice’s past marriages and divorces. For example, the narration simply states of Alice’s second marriage that “the alliance was brief and stormy” (73). The story offers other points of speculation, such as the rumored implication that Varick was sexually unfaithful, or that Alice divorced him due to his lack of money...