The "Oranges and Apples" narative from the book "Friend Of My Youth" By Alice Munro. Why did Victor Refuse Barbara?

Essay by Thulasy March 2003

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Alice Munro's narrative "Oranges and Apples" is based on the two main characters Victor Sawicky, the golden palomino and Barbara Zeigler, the looker. Barbara is a married woman who is having an affair with the best friend of her husband named Victor Sawicky. She is married to Murray Zeigler, the crown prince of Walley, who is also another main character in our story. However Victor refuses Barbara afterwards because she was his kind and he feels guilty for having such a relationship with her and he can not stick with one girl. We will see these in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, Victor Sawicky turns down Barbara for the reason that she is like him. Victor is splendid man but he is very disturbing. He scattered the clerks when he walked into the store owned by Murray (Munro, 114). Victor is a foreigner and people of his class were never welcomed in the city of Walley but when Victor arrives they receive him with a lot respect because of his looks (Munro, 114).

Barbara, in the other hand is a looker. She is splendid and disturbing (Munro, 114). Victor and Barbara are the same class of humans. Murray is waiting for Barbara and Victor to meet so that he could introduce them to each other, almost show them off to each other (Munro, 118). This is the main cause why Victor rejects Barbara since she resembles him as she belongs to the same group.

Secondly, Victor Sawicky refused Barbara because he feels guilty that he had an affair with his best friend's wife. Murray Zeigler, Barbara's husband and also Victor's best friend helped Victor a lot of times. For example Murray gave him the caretaker's apartment when he didn't have a place to live (Munro, 124). Even though Murray...