How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro

The short story How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro is a story about a girl who is hired to work for a wealthy family. There are many minor characters, such as Alice Kelling and Mrs. Peebles, who impact the story immensely. Both of these characters serve to be protagonists against the main character, Edie. Alice Kelling is an opponent to Edie because Alice is Chris' fiance. Both of these women are interested in Chris, so they have a natural dislike toward one another. Alice also creates a great deal of drama between herself and Edie even though Edie is too naive to understand the situation. Mrs. Peebles acts indirectly as an antagonist. After Chris discovers Edie wearing Mrs. Peebles' dress, Edie states, "Mrs. Peebles might not fire me, when she found out, but it would give her a different feeling about me altogether" (Munro 135). Mrs. Peebles is an antagonist because she creates internal conflict within Edie. Anything Edie does that borderline mischievous, Edie always worries about what Mrs. Peebles' response will be if she were to find out. This causes Edie to be secretive and rarely go outside her comfort zone, giving Edie a characteristic of innocence. Mrs. Peebles and Alice Kelling serve to challenge Edie in ways she had never experienced due to her country upbringing.