The Shining Houses by Alice Munro

The Shining Houses
The theme of the short story “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro is that when a person is faced with making a challenging decision in a complicated and conforming situation, the choice made helps reveal his or her individuality.
The general conflict in this story is Mary’s dilemma. She listens to both conflicting perspectives within her community, Mrs. Fullerton and her neighbors. The neighbors represent the present and the future of the community. They want a more modern, advanced area to live in but don’t even consider Mrs. Fullerton’s view. Mrs. Fullerton represents the community’s history. She’s unable to adapt to the changes of society and keeps to her barn, animals and crop-growing as opposed to new roads, market produce and houses. Mary knows Mrs. Fullerton better than anyone else in the community and does not sign the petition to take Mrs. Fullerton’s land away for a new lane. It shows that she stands up for what she fe...