In Alice Munro’s “The Shining Houses,” Mary is indeed insightful, compassionate, and fair. Let’s look through the story to find examples of these characteristics to get you started on this assignment.

We can see Mary’s compassion right away in how she talks to Mrs. Fullerton. Mary takes the time to listen to this old woman, to ask her questions, and to care about her. Mary does not care if Mrs. Fullerton’s cherries are more expensive than those at the supermarket. She will buy from Mrs. Fullerton anyway. Mary also gives Mrs. Fullerton her last cigarette, but she does so in a way that will not offend the other woman.

At the birthday party, Mary gets upset when she learns that her neighbors are planning to force Mrs. Fullerton out of her home because they think the place is an eyesore. Mary realizes that this is not fair even if it is legal. She understands that her neighbors are not bad people but that they simply cannot see what she sees in Mrs. Fullerton and her property, and this grieves Mary. She refuses to sign the petition. Even if Mrs. Fullerton gets money for her property, Mary can see that this would never please the old woman, who is attached to her home, the home that she has lived in for fifty years. Mary is insightful enough to realize this. Her neighbors are not.

In "The Shining Houses" by Alice Munro, discuss the character of Mary.

Mary is a perceptive and caring neighbor who recognizes the value of Mrs. Fullerton's presence in the neighborhood.

As the story opens, Mary visits with Mrs. Fullerton, which is only tolerated by the older woman because Mary purchases eggs from her. Mary understands this and enjoys "listening" to the woman's stories, always feeling like she walks away with something a little different at the end of each conversation. Mary appreciates the certainty in Mrs. Fullerton's perspective; she has "no doubts" about her own opinions.

Mary's neighbors, who have built "white and shining houses" all around Mrs. Fullerton's quaint residence, do not share this same sense of appreciation for the past. They do not value Mrs. Fullerton's sense of independence, and when Mary arrives at the birthday party, she is dismayed to find that her older friend is the subject of ridicule. She dreads listening to the neighbors' "familiar circles of complaint" about Mrs. Fullerton and hopes that she can bring the conversation to a stop.

The group's complaints culminate with the devious plans to rid the neighborhood of Mrs. Fullerton for good; a real estate agent has learned that the older woman's property sits in the right of way for a potential new lane. A petition is started to proceed with constructing this lane, which would run through Mrs. Fullerton's house.

Mary demonstrates a willingness to stand up for Mrs. Fullerton—to a point. She refuses to sign the petition, insisting that they don't have "the right" to evict an old woman from the home she has lived in for decades. When another neighbor reminds Mary that Mrs. Fullerton isn't a "charming old lady," Mary agrees. Still, she believes that Mrs. Fullerton deserves to exist in the home she has created for herself, one with a deep sense of permanency, because she values the history and wisdom Mrs. Fullerton represents.

Still, in the end, Mary isn't willing to vehemently defend Mrs. Fullerton and acknowledges that her neighbors are "good people" despite their plans for their oldest neighbor. She resolves to keep her "hands in [her] pockets," and thereby takes no action to protect Mrs. Fullerton, because doing so softens her own relationships with those same neighbors.

In many ways, Mary is quite a believable character, representing those who recognize evil when they see it and want to defend the helpless but ultimately push their hands deep into their pockets and walk away without doing anything.