Family Troubles Depicted in the Short Story, A Domestic Dilemma

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Many families have problems within that can sometimes ruin the relationship between themselves, In the short story A Domestic Dilemma by Carson McCullers, a family of four goes through a problem that if not for Martin, the problem probably wouldn't of been resolved. The problem was alcoholism, Martins wife Emily drank to much therefore jeopardizing her children's and her own safety, her relationship with her husband Martin, and according to Martin, their reputation. Most people don't just resort to alcoholism for nothing, Emily must have had a reason to start drinking the way she was.

From the beginning of the story clues are given that Martin didn't want to go home and deal with things: "It used to be that at this point the would relax and begin to think with pleasure of his home. In this last year nearness brought only a senses of tension and he did not anticipate the journey's end."(72) Martin would get home from work and see the two children; Marianne and Andy unattended and doing things they shouldn't be doing like taking out Christmas ordainments. They would not be fed or fed right, Emily once mistook a tin of cayenne for cinnamon therefore ruining the meal. Then he would approach Emily, he could always tell when she had been drinking even if she tried to keep it from him. It elevated the most when Emily in the past had dropped Marianne, she hit her head on the corner of the table, from there she tried to stop drinking but slowly she

started up again. Then another time she made a scene in front of the children when she

came downstairs when Martin got back from work and told Andy not to believe anything that Martin said about her even though he hadn't said anything, she scared her own kids forcing them to run to their father. Martin had to send the kids upstairs. That disappointed her enough to break down feeling ashamed of herself. Martin then put her to bed, then attended to the kids.

Martin also felt that this problem of theirs could effect them in the outside world. "Martin anticipated his own embarrassment, wondering if the others at the office could possibly suspect."(78) Martin was afraid that others knew about what was going on and that it could effect his children's lives too. "His wife was a dissolute woman.

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