‘Night’ by Alice Munro

Aboutthe
About the author
Author

Alice Munro was born in Canada in 1931 and she attended the University of Western
Ontario. Primarily known for her short stories, her first collection of stories was published
as Dance of the Happy Shades. In 2009, Munro won the Man Booker International Prize.
That same year, she published the short-story collection Too Much Happiness. In 2013, at
age 82, Munro was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Nobel Prize is
awarded for a writer’s entire body of work, not just one book and is a fantastic
achievement. The Nobel judges called her ‘the master of the contemporary short story.’
She is judged to have revolutionised the architecture of the short story, exploring difficult
issues in an uncomplicated prose style.

Night is an essay which is autobiographical in nature and in it, Munro tells of a period of
insomnia she experienced as a teenage girl when her appendix was removed. She also
had a ‘growth’ removed which may have been cancerous but Munro is still alive now (born
in 1931 and 83 at the time of writing), so she obviously recovered from it. She says these
stories, of which ‘Night’ is one, is “the first and last — and closest — things I have to say
about my own life.”

Style

In the story she recalls a time when a terrible thought grew in her mind while she was
awake most of the night: how easy it would be to strangle her younger sister. Killing your
sister – known as sororicide – is something she later confessed to her father who took the
confession very calmly. His reaction to her confession is worth discussion.

The story is narrated in the first person and we have no omniscient narrator to tell us other
things that are going on. Night is written through a first person unreliable narrator. There
are other examples of this type of storytelling, like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.
When the story is told in this way we often understand why the person thinks in this way
and how the speaker justifies certain behaviour. It is perfectly rational to the writer but not
to others in the story and often not to us when we think about the actions in depth. What
we never find out is what the other characters are thinking and why they do the things they
do. We only have their words and actions to surmise what they are thinking. We have to
ponder about what the other characters in the text are really thinking and interpret from the
small clues in the text.

Notes

The story seems to be set not long after the Second World War as the speaker states
there ‘the war and gas rationing’ had changed circumstances. ‘Gas’ would also suggest it
uses American spelling as in Britain it would say ‘petrol’.

The speaker has an appendectomy and also discovers there was another ‘growth’
removed as well. The speaker reflects that today there would be a discussion about
whether it was cancer or not, benign or malignant and whether it was life threatening.

As usual in stories like this, there are very few characters: the mother, father and sister.
Her relationship with her sister had been quite acrimonious when she was younger and
she often used to tease and torment her.

Find some examples of her teasing and tormenting her younger sister:

She lifted up the corner of her thin mattress and threaten to spit on her little sister lying
helpless in the bunk below. When her sister is curious, she will come out from her covers
and the narrator will spit or pretend to spit on her bared face.

Line 40,

One way she teases her sister is through being a ‘hair-raising storyteller’ (line 48) and
Munro creates the same effect in the reader when she decides that ‘the thought that I
could strangle my little sister’ is possible.

How does the speaker build up to this terrible confession, from line 91 to line 101?

Short sentences, to build up tenions, “How strange”, “The thought was there and hanging
in my mind.

The apparent freedom, from rules and expectations, could be a wonderful experience but
is the beginning of her decline. The lack of structure, discipline and strong familial bonds
creates an alarming change in the speaker’s psyche – where she wants to kill her sister.

What is more concerning is that there is no reason for desiring to strangle her sister, no
reason for wanting to kill her. She feels ‘Something was taking hold of me’ (line 91) and is
unable to shake it off. It possesses her, it consumes her mind. Once a thought has
embedded itself in your mind it is hard to remove it.
What effect does the word ‘hanging’ have in the sentence in line 101?

The use of menacing language. This present continuous verb carries connotation
associated with death which builds tension. A sense of horror and suspense. Dark thought.

Her confession, to her father, is a transition, from innocence to experience. It is forbidden

knowledge that has been spoken. She cannot go back; she cannot unsay the words once
they are out. How does her father react to her confession?

Her father told her ‘not to worry’ ‘quite seriously and without any sort of alarm or jumpy
surprise’

Does his reaction surprise you? It is through this confession that the speaker’s mentality
changes and speaking the words creates a therapeutic effect. She is now able to sleep.

Are we left unsatisfied by the ending? We were building up to murderous thoughts, of

sororicide, of the speaker occupying a nocturnal world. She is isolated, in darkness,
separated from her family and routine.

Language Techniques

The essay is written entirely in the first person and seems to be autobiographical in nature.
It is confessional in tone, discussing a disturbing time in the author’s life.

The author is of the opinion that snowstorms and dramatic moments in her personal life
are connected. Therefore, snowstorms are symbols of traumatic moments, blinding the
author, leaving her cold and defenceless against the elements.

The writer uses direct address in line 76 to draw the reader into the story: ‘You might think
this was a liberation.’ Is it freedom? By writing this, the reader has to think whether it is
liberating or not.

There is use of internal monologue in ‘So who do you think you are then?’ and ‘Think
again’ in lines 86 and 89.

The repetition of the word ‘think’ addresses her mental insecurity – her whole world is in
doubt at this point. She is aware of this when she says ‘I was not myself’ on line 83. She is
aware that she is not behaving in the same way but there is a deeper implication that she
is somebody else entirely.

Occasionally the writer uses triplets to convey motives such as ‘jealousy, viciousness or
anger’ on line 104 and ‘lazy, teasing, half-sluggish suggestion’ on line 106. What is the
effect of these triplets? Explore them and write a PEEL paragraph.

In Night, the writer uses triplets to convey motives. For examples, triplet is used in
“jealousy, viciousness or anger” to suggest this would be a senseless killing as she has no
reason to murder her sister. This also emphasizes her loss of control that she is now
crazy, and she may not help herself killing her sister at any time. Another example – “lazy,
teasing, half-sluggish suggestion” personifies that evil thought no longer is an idea as now
it becomes a creature which has human characteristics such as lazy. This suggests that
evil thoughts have taken control of the narrator . These two examples of triplets convey her
motives to kill her sister.

Night is also a symbol, a symbol of remoteness from family, of isolation from life in
general. Night becomes a panacea, a way to shield herself from loved ones while she tries
to find meaning in life by looking at nature in its nocturnal state.

There is personification in ‘the suggestion that seemed to have been waiting a long time’
on line 106/107, this latent desire that is stirring within. The ‘teasing’ suggestion may mirror
the speaker’s teasing of her sister.

There is a hint of the diabolic in line 151 when the speaker says ‘The demons got hold of
me again.’ Those darker impulses which seem to possess her take hold of her - again. It’s
not the first time. She is aware of this though, especially when she looks back.

Discussion Questions / Activities

1. Why is the essay called ‘Night’? What is the significance of the title?
It is because most of the story is based on Alice’s thoughts at night due to insomnia
and so it is an impactful title.
Foreshadows and imply the dark thoughts mentioned later.
2. The writer uses sibilance (sibilance is a repetition of s, sh or z to produce a hissing
sound) when she writes ‘the snow sifting in a somber way’ on lines 14 and 15. What
is the effect of the sibilance?
It conveys sad sound and a solemn tone and feelings after her surgery.
3. The writer also uses a metaphor when she says ‘There must have been a cloud
around that word.’ What does that mean?
It gives a bad connotation to that word which shows that the word is a taboo for her
family.
Clouds are misty, something not spoken
4. The speaker also mentions later that she didn’t walk around ‘trailing any special
clouds’. There is a theme of clouds in this story – what does ‘special clouds’ mean
at this point?
5. What is the effect of the ellipsis (…) at the end of line 29?
Create pause, slow down pace, create suspense.
6. Why do you think the writer repeats the phrase ‘fell away’ on line 74?
It shows that life is falling apart and disintegrating which conveys her hopelessness.
7. Discuss the following (line 104/105) in depth: ‘madness, which could be lying right
beside me there in the night.’ How can madness be lying there?
'MADNESS'- Personified as 'lying beside me' as if it is a person outside herself.
Losing her rationality, personification
Abstract noun which reflects mental illness
8. How is it possible that ‘Everything was larger’ on line 122? What things were larger?
Alice feels that trees are larger at night.
9. What is the effect of the short sentence followed by the long sentence here, from
lines 134-138? Write and comment on it / annotate it:
 ‘And suddenly I would be overwhelmed with sleepiness. I went back into the house,
where there was suddenly darkness everywhere, and I very properly, carefully ,
silently, set the tilted chair under the doorknob, and went upstairs without a sound,
managing doors and steps with the caution necessary, although I seemed already
half asleep.’
10. What is the effect of the word ‘absurd’ being used three times between lines 141-
144?
Repetition of this. It gives a sense of isolation as a single word paragraph
represents how isolating and alienating this experience was for her.

11. The writer sometimes uses speech marks for direct speech but sometimes doesn’t,
just noting the words on a line. What is the effect of that?
It allows the reader to develop their own meaning from the text.
How does the writer of ‘Night’ show the varied mental states of the narrator?

In your answer, you should write about:

- the background and situation
- the narrator’s thoughts and feelings
- the use of language

You should support your answer with close reference to the passage, including brief quotations.

In “Night”, Alice has used different languages and structures to show the varied mental states of the
narrator.

At the beginning of the text, Alice uses different literary devices to show the narrator’s sadness.
Alice uses pathetic fallacy to suggest her deep feelings. For example, pathetic fallacy is used in the
line – “… drastic physical event that did not occur simultaneously with a snowstorm.”. Snow
represents sadness, bleakness or death. This shows the negative emotions that the narrator will feel
in the later story and the hint that she is going to lose her rationality and keep thinking ways to kill
her sister.

Another example of pathetic fallacy is used. The word – “blizzard” is used to emphasize the
negative atmosphere which is unpleasant, chaotic and unpredictable in the hospital. Sibilance and
pathetic fallacy in “snow sifting in a somber way” are also used to convey sad sound and create a
melancholic tone. These embody that the narrator is worrying about something and reflects her
negativity gradually. However, she felt like the challenge is an “adventure” which creates a sense of
excitement. She felt excited as she has been living in a rural community for so long that is
monotonous to her.

In addition, the line – “I must not even think of it but I did think of it.” is used to portray how she
was scared of her own mind and that the more she tried to forget her thoughts the more she fed them
and gave them power. Moreover, a simile is used in “wandering about like a visitor” to create a
sense of being an outsider of the narrator. This shows that she feels lonely. Alice also uses negative
dictions such as “uselessness” and “strangeness” to show that the narrator is deteriorating her self-
worth which is impacting her mentally. “I was left to make up my own mind” suggests a sense of
abandonment and she was struggling with new freedoms of being an adult which again has an
impact on her mental.

On the other hand, repetition of “why not” in “It might be saying why not. Why not try the worst?”
is used to emphasize her blasé attitude to abhorrent acts as she is now not compos mentis due to the
lack of sleep. Also, an internal monologue is used in ‘So who do you think you are then?’ and
‘Think again’ to suggest the growing metal insecurity. The repetition of the word ‘think’ addresses
her mental insecurity – her whole world is in doubt at this point. ‘I was not myself’ shows that her
madness is starting to rise, and her feelings are getting more intense. She is aware that she is not
behaving in the same way but there is a deeper implication that she is somebody else entirely.

Furthermore, violent imagery is used in “it was my business, my hope, to fight it off.” to show the
internal battle of the narrator and also the violent imagery of fratricide in “I could strangle my little
sister… whom I loved more than anybody in the world.” is juxtaposed with the contradictory
language of “love”, creating a sense of confusion. Personification is also used in “madness… lying
right beside me” creates a greater sense of unease and negative language in “I could not help it”
reveals a lack of confidence in ability to control herself. This gives a defeatist tone. The word –
“demon” conveys the negativity of her mind.
In terms of structure, parallel sentence is used in “her own friends, her own games” to draw
attention to distance. The word – “own” heightens a sense of loneliness of the narrator. Moreover,
simple sentence – “I said good morning back” creates a sense of awkwardness of the narrator after
seeing her father. This text – “Night” is written in first person unreliable narrator. This makes
reader understand why the narrator thinks in this way and how the speaker justifies certain
behaviour, hence show the mental state of her. One sentence paragraph is also used in “The
thought was there and hanging in my mind.” to show her fear and anxiety. Finally, the narrator’s
father represents her return to her “normal” role in the family. This means that she is back to normal
after talking to her father in the text.

In conclusion, Alice shows the varied mental states of the narrator using different literary devices
and structures.

Indirect/Direct Speech: "I said that I was afraid I would hurt her" VS " 'Strangle her' I said"
- contrast creates vivid and dynamic writing yet a sense of distance

juxtaposition: Line 220 "he said not to worry. He said, 'People have those kinds of thoughts
sometimes' VS line 240 "if I had ever taxed him, with his use on me of the razor strap or his belt, he
might have said something about liking or lumping it"

- express the sudden change in parental tone of her father to suggest the start of the
progression of societal norms to a more modern society
Structure

 1st person narrative as very autobiographical

 Series of short paragraphs highlight the narrator’s fear of what she could do to her sister
 Direct speech with her father
 Follows chronological order
 Short single word sentences for emphasis
 Long sentences convey length of journey from bedroom to outside
 Finishes with her ability to sleep again – problem resolved
Language

 Detailed description of world at night

 Words with negative connotations
 Metaphor ‘cloud’ negative connotations of word ‘cancer’
 Sibilance’ ‘snow sifting in a somber way’ creates negative mood
 Conversational, informal tone as though talking to reader, ‘as I have said’
 Personification of the thought which is taking hold of her to give it more power
 Triad – ‘done, hung up, finished with’ – contrasts normality of life with her abnormal
thoughts
 Anaphora – ‘no vengeance, no hatred, no reason’ – trying to find a rational explanation for
her thoughts
 Pathetic fallacy to create mood
 Rhetorical questions – ‘Why not try the worst?’ – to let reader see her thoughts