The narrator

The narrator is in an unhealthy relationship

The main character of Kate London’s short story “We Do Not Deal in Guilt or Blame” is the unnamed narrator. She is a young woman who lives in London and works at a market stall on Sundays. Later she also joins a band as the main singer. 

The narrator is in a relationship with an older man who is more experienced and cultured than her. Because of this, there is a power imbalance in their relationship. This is particularly clear in the beginning of the story where the narrator takes a passive role. For example, she does not protest when her boyfriend silences her during arguments: “He put a hand up like someone stopping traffic and I stopped talking and he said, ‘No. We do not deal in guilt or blame.’ That was that then.” (ll. 4-6). This shows that the boyfriend holds the most power in the relationship. 

Moreover, the narrator sometimes does not tell her boyfriend what she really feels...