Christine

In “Logjam” by Ron Wallace Christine’s outer characterization tells us that she had a “Scotch Presbyterian upbringing” (l. 59) and dated only one other man before she married her husband, Peterson. She and Peterson have been married for 20 years and they have two daughters’ together, Jennifer and Phoebe. When she was first married, she was a housewife and did volunteer work (l. …

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Inner characterization

Christine’s inner characterization suggests a complex, developing character, as she changes throughout her marriage.

In the beginning of their marriage, Peterson viewed her as “sweet and reasonable, innocent and shy” (l. 58) and considered her to be a happy housewife: “She seemed happy to keep house, cook, see her friends, and do her volunteer work.” (l. 60)

However, as time passed, Christine “began to seem dissatisfied” (ll. 60-61) with Peterson and their marriage. We find out that she began to like arguing and she believed that arguments are good for relationships: “After a two-hour debate she’d seem rejuvenated, energized, and he’d be exhausted, depleted. She loved these discussions, said they were important to a healthy relationship.” (ll. 65-66)

Her views on love and relationships indicate that she began to see dependency as a weakness: “She insisted it was bad. The very word ‘dependency’, she said, suggested weakness, addiction, and sickness, while ‘independence’ suggested strength and self-reliance.” (ll. 70-72). This suggests that she wanted more independence in her own life and marriage.

Furthermore, her attitude indicates that she began to resent men because they thought of themselves as superior and were threatened by women’s independence: “ ‘What you mean,’ she’d reply, ‘is that you want everything your way. If we women are strong,’ she’d say, echoing her assertiveness training group, ‘you men think it weakens you.’ ” (ll. 76-77)

The fact that Christine went to an “assertiveness training group” suggests that she may have had problems with self-esteem or with getting people to listen to her (perhaps including her husband). With h…