Laura's Impression In 'Low Visibility' By Margaret Murphy

In numerous of marriages today a big deal of violence is taking place. The tendency is that women are being oppressed by their husbands hereby with serious violent means. This is a phenomenon that, in my opinion, is left unattended in a too big and unacceptable extent. In the short story by Margaret Murphy a very realistic situation concerning women’s suppression going on. Below is my analysis and interpretation of Margaret’s short story.
Laura and her marriage with John are characterized by nervousness, adverse modification and violence conclusively. In the story it is said that Laura used to be a spirited and humorous girl. “Once, she was a girl who could set a room to laughter,” the narrator writes. But unfortunately for the protagonist of the short story, Laura’s marriage with John would terminate her happiness in life. Because John married her for her spirit and humour and “he thought that her good humour would seep into him” like osmosis. It just didn’t. Because John did not have the

The title ‘Low visibility’ refers to Laura’s description as feeling invisible several times. “John stares in her direction as if trying to locate the source of the sound, but sees no more than a shimmer of something against the orange glow beyond the curtains”, the narrator writes for instance in line number 101. ‘Invisible’ is not to be understood in a physical way, since she undoubtedly still exists, but is rather to be understood in a figurative way. It is occurring like this, because the narrator wants to make us conscious of how she feels and thinks she’s being looked at by others – namely as an imperceptible, unseen and invisible being behind her dominating husband. Additionally, the title “Low visibility” further refers to her linking with the protesters in the environment outside, who likewise are referred as invisible. “I have been invisible all my life”, says one of the