Runaway Analysis

Runaway by Alice Munro is a fiction novel set in 1927 in Clinton, Ontario. The author is familiar with the novel's setting because she seasonally inhabited the place while growing up. Runaway is similar to Munro's preceding novels because it is written in a bracingly dry tone representing unhappiness. The author uses the third-person omniscient narrative, which adopts a thoughtful tone throughout the tale while infrequently ridiculing life's unsympathetic realism. The primary conflict in the novel is that women are the source of their problems. Munro hints to readers that it is high time women realize that they are the cause of their misfortunes. For instance, Carla makes wrong decisions that make her unhappy and sad throughout her life.

Thematically, Munro focuses on the themes of marriage, domesticity, and escape. When Carla falls in love with Clark, she disregards her parents' disapproval of the union. Carla's parents say she must finish her studies and concentrate on her career before getting married. However, Carla is in love with Clark and gets married, hoping to have a happy union. However, the marriage is full of challenges that make Carla miserable throughout her domestic life. The novel's title, Runaway literary, refers to escapism. Every character in the novel tries to escape problems but in vain. For instance, Carla runs away from her strict parents but ends up suffering more than she expected. In addition, Carla tries to run away from her miserable marriage, but every time she makes an attempt, she fails.

The central symbol in the novel Runaway is Flora. Flora is a pet goat representing Carla's snare in her matrimony to Clark. Flora vanishes and later reappears. At the same time, Carla tries to escape from Clark to start a new life, but she finds herself returning like Flora.