The Fireman's Wife (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Richard Bausch
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Plot: Psychological, domestic realism
- Time of Work: The 1980's
- Setting: A city in Illinois
- Principal Characters: Martin, Jane, Teddy Lynch, Wally Harmon, Milly
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Husbands, North America or North Americans, Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Wives, Love or romance, Twentieth century, Marriage, Friendship, Dreams, 1980’s, Pregnancy, Accidents, Death or dying, Fire, Illinois, Firefighting or firefighters
- Locales: Illinois
The Story
“The Fireman's Wife” unfolds from the point of view of Jane, the firefighter's wife. It is a September evening in an unnamed Illinois city. Jane and her husband, Martin, are at home, entertaining their friends Wally Harmon and Teddy Lynch, also firefighters, and Wally's wife, Milly, who is expecting a baby soon. All are old friends and native to the area except Jane, who feels somewhat of an outsider.
After dinner, Martin proposes a game of Risk, which all but Jane have played for years. Jane resists, claiming a headache and concerned about the lateness of...
[The entire page is 1626 words long]
