Alice Munro's story "Axis" has appeared in The New Yorker and was published in the 2012 edition of The Best American Short Stories. What follows is my attempt to summarize the story's plot and provide some insight into the story's meaning.
"Axis" is about Grace and Avie, two young women attending the same college. Grace has a boyfriend named Royce who visits Grace on her parents' farm. Royce eats dinner with Grace's family and then the couple goes for a walk. The two devise a plan to have sex while Grace's family is away the following day. But as Grace and Royce are about the have sex, Grace's mother barges in on them, causing Royce to leave in a hurry. Royce hitchhikes to an area called the Niagara Escarpment and he realizes that Geography is his true calling.
The story now switches gears to Avie who ends up marrying her boyfriend Hugo and having six children. Hugo works as a teacher while Avie spends most of her time reading and taking care of her children. On a train to visit one of her daughters, Avie runs into Royce who is now a retired geology teacher. Royce tells Avie about the Frontenac Axis, a natural phenomena viewable from the train. Avie thanks Royce who falls asleep.
The story now switches gears to the last time Avie remembers hearing from Grace. Avie has reason to believe that Grace is unwell but she is too busy to visit her. Avie asks Royce if he has heard from Grace but Royce says "no".
"They understood - everybody understood - that having any sort of job after graduation would be a defeat. Like the sorority girls, they were enrolled here to find somebody to marry. First a boyfriend, then a husband. It wasn't spoken of in those terms, but there you were."
The most impressive thing about this story, in my opinion, is the amount of realistic detail given to the characters. In sixteen pages the story tells Avie's entire life story and does virtually the same thing for Grace. There is so much meaning in the characters' small gestures. The effect is that you (the reader) feel for the characters because they are vulnerable and human. As a writer I understand the difficulty of creating characters, therefore I give credit to Munro for her characters in "Axis".
The overall mood of this story is depressing. At the end I felt bad for Avie who seems disappointed with her life. The outlook for Grace is even more bleak since there's an assumption that her life went downhill after failing to hook up with Royce. I wouldn't call "Axis" a tragedy but it does leave you feeling rather pessimistic about the human experience.
There is a lot to talk about in this story and my brief analysis here does not do it justice. As of today I think the major theme of the story is the unending battle of the sexes. Grace and Avie's primary objective in life is to find men who will be their husbands. But this is not either woman's choice. It is a consequence of their environment and socioeconomic status.
If you have read "Axis", feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the story. I welcome any thoughts on this story because, honestly, I'm not sure what to make of Alice Munro at this point. Thank you for reading.
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Summary
The story now switches gears to Avie who ends up marrying her boyfriend Hugo and having six children. Hugo works as a teacher while Avie spends most of her time reading and taking care of her children. On a train to visit one of her daughters, Avie runs into Royce who is now a retired geology teacher. Royce tells Avie about the Frontenac Axis, a natural phenomena viewable from the train. Avie thanks Royce who falls asleep.
The story now switches gears to the last time Avie remembers hearing from Grace. Avie has reason to believe that Grace is unwell but she is too busy to visit her. Avie asks Royce if he has heard from Grace but Royce says "no".
Analysis
"They understood - everybody understood - that having any sort of job after graduation would be a defeat. Like the sorority girls, they were enrolled here to find somebody to marry. First a boyfriend, then a husband. It wasn't spoken of in those terms, but there you were."
The most impressive thing about this story, in my opinion, is the amount of realistic detail given to the characters. In sixteen pages the story tells Avie's entire life story and does virtually the same thing for Grace. There is so much meaning in the characters' small gestures. The effect is that you (the reader) feel for the characters because they are vulnerable and human. As a writer I understand the difficulty of creating characters, therefore I give credit to Munro for her characters in "Axis".
The overall mood of this story is depressing. At the end I felt bad for Avie who seems disappointed with her life. The outlook for Grace is even more bleak since there's an assumption that her life went downhill after failing to hook up with Royce. I wouldn't call "Axis" a tragedy but it does leave you feeling rather pessimistic about the human experience.
There is a lot to talk about in this story and my brief analysis here does not do it justice. As of today I think the major theme of the story is the unending battle of the sexes. Grace and Avie's primary objective in life is to find men who will be their husbands. But this is not either woman's choice. It is a consequence of their environment and socioeconomic status.
If you have read "Axis", feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the story. I welcome any thoughts on this story because, honestly, I'm not sure what to make of Alice Munro at this point. Thank you for reading.
Read this Story Online
