When It Happens Analysis

The unnamed narrator tells the story When It Happens in the third person narrative. The story is interesting because it shifts between imagination and reality, enabling Margaret Atwood to create a perplexing effect. The story is more thought-provoking because readers cannot comprehend Mrs. Burridge's mind and certainty. The reader does not determine whether Mrs. Burridge's thoughts come from qualms or disbelief. Nonetheless, Atwood enhances her story through description as opposed to dialogue to aid readers in getting a lucid picture of Mrs. Burridge's mindset, relationships, and setting. Atwood uses a variety of literary devices, such as symbolism, imagery, and metaphors, to make her story more appealing to readers. Some key themes Atwood explores in this story include disagreement, trepidation, reliance, and loneliness.

In more than one incident, Mrs. Burridge mentions that she is lonely. Mrs. Burridge and her husband live in a house isolated from neighbors because their land is expansive. The couple's children are grown-ups and live in different parts of the country. The isolated location of Mrs. Burridge's residence signifies her physical seclusion. Despite living with her husband, Mrs. Burridge feels neglected since he is no longer romantic. For instance, Mrs. Burridge mentions that she can no longer tease her husband, and they used to play in their happy days in marriage. Even with no physical confrontation between Mrs. Burridge and her husband, she feels the marriage is dead.

When Mrs. Burridge realizes that there is a hole in the staircase, she asks her husband, Frank, to fix it. However, Frank is slow to act despite being the only person in the house who can fix that mess. Mrs. Burridge also discovers that only her husband can execute some tasks, and this worries her as she realizes that she is dependent on him, sparking panic that she cannot live on her own. Therefore, Mrs. Burridge starts thinking about how she can be autonomous and survive on her own if her husband dies or leaves for good. Mrs. Burridge starts gaining little confidence when she plucks green tomatoes and discovers she can do small things independently.

Mrs. Burridge starts to daydream after she goes upstairs to make a grocery list. In her daydream, her worst worries are confirmed when an apocalypse occurs. Two people save her husband, and she is left to defend herself. She takes her husband's gun and arranges the food and non-food items she needs to survive for several days. At least, Mrs. Burridge is confident that she can survive on her own and use the gun to attack anybody who threatens her life. When she comes out of the dream and faces reality, she continues with her daily routine but is slowly gaining the confidence she needs to survive on her own.