Alice Munro’s Short Story, “Soon”: a Character Analyzation Essay Example

accommodate one another’s feelings.

To assist the minister’s assumptions he takes it upon himself to inquire about Juliet’s daughter. Don is very interested in how Juliet plans to raise her child. He asks, “‘And [Penelope] has never been christened? You intend to bring her up a heathen? ’”(19). A heathen is a term “Applied to persons or races whose religion is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim; pagan; Gentile. In earlier times applied also to Muslims; but in modern usage, for the most part, restricted to those holding polytheistic beliefs, esp. hen uncivilized or uncultured”(“Heathen”). Obviously it is not a pleasant term to assign someone but Don clearly feels very strongly about her choice to not implement religion into her daughter’s life. Religion is considered to be “a state of life bound by religious vows; the condition of belonging to a religious order” (“Religion”). Don feels so strongly about religion that he compares the denial of it to the denial of nourishment in Penelope’s case. He says, “‘you’ve decided to reject God’s grace. Well. You are adults.

But to reject it for your child – it’s like denying her nourishment’” (19). This topic strikes a nerve with Juliet. Up until this point in the short story she seems like a very calm and collected kind of person, she did not seem to let her true feelings show throughout the story except in her own thoughts, but “Juliet felt her composure cracking” (19). Composure is defined as “personal constitution, temperament” (“Composure”), and Juliet’s temperament was becoming greatly heated. The most significant words and ideas in the passage are believe, lies, and God.

The whole basis of the argument revolves around

‘believing’ in God versus Juliet who considers it all to be lies. Don says, “Lies. What millions of people all over the world believe in, you call lies” (19). Based on the meaning of a lie Juliet thinks religion itself is all a hoax. Lies are defined as “a false statement made with intent to deceive; a criminal falsehood” (“Lies”), and that is exactly how she feels about the whole idea of God himself. She says that “‘There is no church of our sort. We don’t believe in God’” (19). Don told her that “he was very sorry to hear that” (19).

God can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary and it reads, “A superhuman person who is worshipped as having power over nature and the fortunes of mankind; a deity” (“God”) but Juliet’s beliefs say otherwise. “‘Millions of people don’t believe in [God], they just go to church’” (19). While reading the passage it becomes apparent that the argument is growing more and more heated. The tension comes through in the words and creates a feeling of uneasiness, leaving the reader with wonderment between the two opposing belief systems.

Belief is a word with a very significant meaning, “The mental action, condition, or habit, of trusting to or confiding in a person or thing; trust, dependence, reliance, confidence; faith” (“Belief”). You have to have faith to believe. Religion is a very complicated, controversial topic. The whole argument between Don and Juliet could essentially have been over anything, anything that Don believed in and Juliet did not. Religion is based on a set of values and beliefs that are layed out. The bible is not a

book that everybody wants to read or is forced to read.

Knowing everything there is to know about God and the beliefs of the Christian society is not necessarily important to everyone, however, to some people, having faith and something to believe in can be one of the most important and influential things in their lives. This passage outlines the varying opinions and differences in belief systems. Religion can and has created many arguments over the past number of years and will continue to do so in the years to come. Works Cited “Belief”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nded. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. "Church". Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed.

Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. “Composure”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nded. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. “God”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nded. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web “Heathen”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. “Lies”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nded. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. Munro, Alice. “Soon. ” ENGL 1000 Coursepack. Trent University Department of English # 17850, 2010. 19. Print. "Presumptuous". Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web. “Religion”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 1989. Web.