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A review by pavlinas
Who Do You Think You Are? by Alice Munro
4.0
A collection of short stories which are interconnected by Rose, the protagonist. The stories are arranged chronologically, like snapshots depicting particular moments in Rose's life. Alongside the main storyline, there are a number of secondary plots with lots of colourful characters. As usually with Munro, good but quite a dense piece of reading.
"She wanted to fill up in that magical, releasing way, transform herself; she wanted the courage and the power." (204)
Contents:
Royal Beatings: Rose's childhood, her father as a "king of the royal beatings", although encouraged by Flo. Child abuse, love and hate within a family. A side story of Becky, with a twisted spine and of a dwarfed stature, reportedly caused by beatings from her own father.
Privilege: Rose greatly admires her schoolmate, Cora, who is a granddaughter of a toilet cleaner in Hanratty. Rose wants to be like Cora although Flo doesn't see her as particularly attractive. She even steals candy for Cora in Flo's grocery. The story is intertwined with the motive of toilets - school children watch their teacher through a hole in the boards of the outhouse.
Half a Grapefruit: At school, children are supposed to tell others about their usual breakfasts. Children from the town talked about bacon and eggs, cornflakes, waffles or orange juice, while children from the country-side of the classrooms ate potatoes, bread, and porridge. Rose, "wanting badly to align herself with towners, against her place of origin", said that she eats half a grapefruit for her breakfast. Naturally, it was pretence and children knew it. Quest of identity - Rose does not belong, coming of age, father-daughter relationship.
Wild Swans: Flo warns Rose against the 'white slavers', looking for women. Rose is travelling to Toronto, for the first time on her own. On the train, Rose is sexually abused by a clergyman but she is too shy to protest, therefore she becomes both a victim and an accomplice. A transitory story - Rose is no longer a child. Coming of age, transformation.
The Beggar Maid: Rose's first serious relationship with Patrick. Rose is a university student in London, Ontario. Not actually a 'love story', but rather a story of one relationship, search for identity, struggling with class differences and expectations.
Mischief: Rose's love affair with a friend's husband. Rose is a mother now and in a hospital, she meets Jocelyn, whose husband is a violinist. Friendship, marriage, adultery, frankness.
Providence: Rose and Patrick separate and Rose has a new job and a new flat. However, she still struggles with her role as a mother and her daughter Anna, a schoolgirl in this story, finally chooses to live with Patrick. Rose has an affair with Tom, a married teacher from Calgary. Independence, opportunities, motherhood.
Simon's Luck: Rose is a middle-aged woman now, living alone in the countryside far from Hanratty, teaching drama and occasionally acting in a small theatre. She is painfully aware of the first signs of ageing: “It is very hard to look in the mirror when there is another, and particularly a younger, woman in the room.” Rose spends the whole weekend with Simon who was supposed to be a one-night stand only but now it seems that he could be the Mr Right.
Spelling: While in the first couple of stories, Flo was an agent of power, here she is old and suffers from senile dementia. Rose comes to Hanratty to move Flo into the Home for the elderly. Ageing, confinement, personal identity, class, race, women's choices. A particularly good one.
Who Do You Think You Are? Rose lives in Toronto but now she is temporarily back in Hanratty to clean the house for sale. She meets the neighbours and experience a sense of unbelonging. A side story of mentally retarded Milton Homer and Ralph who imitates him. Quest for personal identity, the importance of a hometown, unbelonging.
"She wanted to fill up in that magical, releasing way, transform herself; she wanted the courage and the power." (204)
Contents:
Spoiler
Royal Beatings: Rose's childhood, her father as a "king of the royal beatings", although encouraged by Flo. Child abuse, love and hate within a family. A side story of Becky, with a twisted spine and of a dwarfed stature, reportedly caused by beatings from her own father.
Privilege: Rose greatly admires her schoolmate, Cora, who is a granddaughter of a toilet cleaner in Hanratty. Rose wants to be like Cora although Flo doesn't see her as particularly attractive. She even steals candy for Cora in Flo's grocery. The story is intertwined with the motive of toilets - school children watch their teacher through a hole in the boards of the outhouse.
Half a Grapefruit: At school, children are supposed to tell others about their usual breakfasts. Children from the town talked about bacon and eggs, cornflakes, waffles or orange juice, while children from the country-side of the classrooms ate potatoes, bread, and porridge. Rose, "wanting badly to align herself with towners, against her place of origin", said that she eats half a grapefruit for her breakfast. Naturally, it was pretence and children knew it. Quest of identity - Rose does not belong, coming of age, father-daughter relationship.
Wild Swans: Flo warns Rose against the 'white slavers', looking for women. Rose is travelling to Toronto, for the first time on her own. On the train, Rose is sexually abused by a clergyman but she is too shy to protest, therefore she becomes both a victim and an accomplice. A transitory story - Rose is no longer a child. Coming of age, transformation.
The Beggar Maid: Rose's first serious relationship with Patrick. Rose is a university student in London, Ontario. Not actually a 'love story', but rather a story of one relationship, search for identity, struggling with class differences and expectations.
Mischief: Rose's love affair with a friend's husband. Rose is a mother now and in a hospital, she meets Jocelyn, whose husband is a violinist. Friendship, marriage, adultery, frankness.
Providence: Rose and Patrick separate and Rose has a new job and a new flat. However, she still struggles with her role as a mother and her daughter Anna, a schoolgirl in this story, finally chooses to live with Patrick. Rose has an affair with Tom, a married teacher from Calgary. Independence, opportunities, motherhood.
Simon's Luck: Rose is a middle-aged woman now, living alone in the countryside far from Hanratty, teaching drama and occasionally acting in a small theatre. She is painfully aware of the first signs of ageing: “It is very hard to look in the mirror when there is another, and particularly a younger, woman in the room.” Rose spends the whole weekend with Simon who was supposed to be a one-night stand only but now it seems that he could be the Mr Right.
Spelling: While in the first couple of stories, Flo was an agent of power, here she is old and suffers from senile dementia. Rose comes to Hanratty to move Flo into the Home for the elderly. Ageing, confinement, personal identity, class, race, women's choices. A particularly good one.
Who Do You Think You Are? Rose lives in Toronto but now she is temporarily back in Hanratty to clean the house for sale. She meets the neighbours and experience a sense of unbelonging. A side story of mentally retarded Milton Homer and Ralph who imitates him. Quest for personal identity, the importance of a hometown, unbelonging.