Beginning of Essay
There is a reason to hope in all literature. Hope can be defined as something which one longs to see realized, or in other words, any form of optimism, with a belief of a positive outcome. Hope in a piece of literature verifies a level of goodness in the world, wh ....

Middle of Essay
.... throughout the story, encouraging the reader to identify other conditions of hope further on. In addition to symbolism in the title, Alice Munro creates hope through characterization. The character who contains the prevailing amount of hope in "The Shining Houses" is Mary. Mary is the only character in the story that has a personal relationship with Mrs. Fullerton. Mary Would "sit on the back steps of Mrs. Fullerton's house, talking - or really listening - to Mrs. Fullerton" (16). This detail creates a tone of hope for the reader. Because the reader soon finds out that the other members of the community consider Mrs. Fullerton an outcast, Mary ....