Alice Munro, award-winning Canadian author, discusses her short story 'Axis' with Lauren Groff. They explore Munro's mastery of time and structure, as well as feminist themes and narrative techniques. They also delve into the significance of Avi's dream and the hidden meaning behind it.
Alice Munro creates a chiastic structure with a close but distant point of view to tell the story and retroactively reveals its meaning.
The story explores the role of women in society, their struggles with pregnancy scares, and the limited opportunities for independence.
Deep dives
The complex structure of the story
Alice Monroe creates a chiastic structure, with the beginning balancing the end. The story jumps from 50 years ago to the present, using a close but distant point of view to tell the story. The final moment retroactively reveals the meaning of the story.
The role of women in the story
The story explores the role of women and their choices in society. It delves into the expectations placed on women, their struggles with pregnancy scares, and the limited opportunities for independence.
Avi's dream and its significance
Avi's dream represents an alternate way of living, where she feels pressured to lock away her doubts and concerns to fit into societal norms. It reflects the fear and tension within her about the path she is choosing.
The tension between chaos and order
The story highlights the tension between chaos and order, symbolized by the eruption of the Canadian shield through the limestone steps. This reflects the messy realities of life and the contrasting expectations placed on women.
Lauren Groff reads Alice Munro's "Axis," and discusses it with The New Yorker's fiction editor, Deborah Treisman. "Axis" was published in the January 31, 2011, issue of The New Yorker.