The Wide Net (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Eudora Welty
- First Published: 1942
- Type of Work: Short story
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Marriage, Rivers or waterways, Rites or ceremonies
- Locales: Natchez Trace, MS, Dover, MS
“The Wide Net” is a story about the conflict between the needs of the individual and the claims of the community. Young, pregnant Hazel Jamieson feels that the primary allegiance of her husband, William Wallace Jamieson, should be to her. When he stays out all night drinking with his friends, Hazel interprets his action as a rejection of her and of their marriage. She decides to take action.
When he arrives home, William Wallace finds a note from Hazel indicating that she has gone to drown herself. He is shocked. All he can think of is to turn once again to his friends, to...
[The entire page is 624 words long]
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