All the Years of Her Life

In Morley Callaghan’s short story “All the Years of Her Life,” Mrs. Higgins’s trembling hand symbolizes her true self. She is truly hurt and fearful about Alfred’s actions, not the calm and...

Right at the beginning of “All the Years of Her Life” by Morley Callaghan, the reader witnesses how Alfred Higgins is getting into trouble at work. However, while the story is told by an omniscient...

The relationship between Alfred and his mother, prior to this incident, is typical of a protective, worrisome mother and her immature, unfocused son. Alfred resents being condescended to by his...

In the story, Alfred has been caught stealing by his employer. Despite his well-developed body, Alfred's behavior reveals that he's still an immature and irresponsible young man. First, when his...

As children, we all grow up with certain preconceptions about our parents, and to a certain extent we believe that they are invincible. We often don’t perceive until we are nearly adults that our...

Mrs. Higgins is "large and plump". She has blue eyes, and for most of the duration of the story, she is dressed in a light coat pulled tightly across her chest "so her dress would not show". Her...

Mrs. Higgins is a well rounded character in "All the Years of her Life." As a reader you get to see different sides of her personality. She at first comes across as calm and collected, friendly...

The point of view in this story is third-person omniscient. In such a narration, the storyteller has insight into the thoughts and emotions of all the characters. In this story, the narrator...

Alfred's mother was called to the store by the owner, Sam Carr. Mr. Carr had caught Alfred stealing, and rather than "call a cop in point-blank", he called Alfred's mother first to let her know...

Alfred Carr is an immature, troubled youth who lives with his mother and works at a drugstore. While his siblings have left home, Alfred still lives with his parents. As he prepares to go home one...

After Mr. Carr confronts Alfred with his pilfering of small items from the drugstore, he calls Mrs. Higgins and asks her to come to the store; hearing Mr. Carr on the phone with his mother, Alfred...

Mrs. Higgins’s smooth handling of the potentially fraught situation at the drugstore has lulled both her son Alfred and the reader into a false sense of security. We get the impression that she’s...

This isn’t the first time that Alfred Higgins has gotten into trouble, nor is it the first time that his mother has had to bail him out. And Alfred’s behavior as he and his mother make their silent...

In Morley Callaghan's short story "All The Years of Her Life," when the drugstore owner Sam Carr accuses Alfred Higgins of theft, Alfred's first reaction is one of denial.When Mr. Carr first says...

At the end of the story, particularly if you pay close attention to the way that Alfred sees his mother in a new light, you could certainly make the argument that this event has affected him. He...

Sam Carr is an older gentleman of some means and comfort who owns the drugstore where Mrs. Higgins' son Alfred works. Mr. Carr is a calm but firm man who appears to have a sense of empathy toward...

After certain events occur, Alfred finally matures when he feels compassion for his mother as he attains insight into her character. The young man, Alfred Higgins, lives at home with his parents....

Mr. Carr and Mrs. Higgins both have an extraordinary amount of patience. Neither one gets frustrated with Alfred or feels the need to "explode" at Alfred. They each handle the situation...

Most of the difference appears to be the fact that he never really noticed how much his actions affected his mother. Even as he goes downstairs and hears her making tea he is thinking about how...

Not for the first time in his short life, Alfred Higgins is in trouble. This time, he’s been caught stealing by his employer, Sam Carr the drugstore owner. Though his theft of a compact, a...

Mr. Carr calls Alfred's mother in the rising action of the plot of "All the Years of her Life." In the exposition of Morley Callaghan's story, there is the introduction of the characters of Alfred...

Guilt is the driving force in Alfred's coming of age. It is guilt that first causes him to lie to Mr. Carr about the theft. When he is caught, and his mother comes to the store, it is guilt that...

Exposition is the background of a story, the setting and time period and essential facts. In the opening sequence of this story, we learn that it is set in a city during early part of the...

The story’s plot concerns the interactions among Sam Carr, who owns a small store, his clerk Alfred, and Alfred’s mother, Mrs. Higgins. When Carr catches Alfred with stolen merchandise, he tells...

The tension begins when Mr. Carr confronts Alfred about stealing items from the store. Initially, the tension is solely between Carr and Alfred, although the psychological tension is described from...

It seems that Alfred experience conflict with everyone. Alfred is immature, and has trouble holding down a job for long. His mother seems devoted to her son, but there is conflict when she must go...

This story is written in the minimalist style. The author gives very little detail to the backstory of the characters or to description. We enter the story in the midst of things - Alfred has...

This is the inverse of the typical question where you are given an initial amount to find the final total. If you are searching for the final amount after the time period, you set the equation up...

While the speed at which an object travels will vary according to friction and resistance by the atmosphere (think of a parachute), the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second...

"All the Years of Her Life" is a story about the beginning of a late adolescent boy's growth into awareness and empathy. When Alfred's mother is called to the pharmacy where he works because of his...

There are multiple points when suspense is created in the story. Suspense is created by Callaghan setting up a situation and keeping the reader waiting before revealing the outcome. First, we are...

The first five years are very straightforward. The value of the money increases by 4 percent every year. The math behind that is simple - each year you multiply the initial value by 1.04, or to...

"All the Years of her Life" refers to the culminated pain Alfred's mother has experienced during the course of her life, leading her to be broken and frightened under her façade of strength. In...