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Magic Man by Sheila Kohler

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?In the short story "Magic Man" by Sheila Kohler we see the conflict in the story as a case of Person vs Self with the theme being that in life there aren't always happy endings like in the fairytales we are told as children. I am going to analyze this story using the literary technique narrative point of view. With this short story being told from an omniscient third person PoV, we can take a look at how the characters are dealing with the conflict in the story on a more individual level. The story teller opens with Sandra listening to her sister talking about her husband who abuses her as she states “He’s wonderful with post-op care,” her sister is going on, talking about her blond, handsome husband, her large blue eyes shining with tears, while Sandra watches her two little ones, who sit facing each other on the slate that surrounds the big blue pool, their bare legs stretched out before them” (TBASS 2013, Pg.97). Right from the beginning you can already tell that the situation that they are in is not one that is conducive to living a happy healthy life. Even as Sandra's sister sits next to her with tears in her eyes Sandra still seems to be off in a dream world not really paying attention to the trouble that was right in front of her face, a feeling she would later remember when SP, her daughter, tells her about the assault she endured at the hands of the Magic Man years ago. What we really see from the storyteller’s time spent with Sandra is that her inner conflict deals with many aspects, the first being her perception of who she used to be and who she is now and the fact that she more readily identifies with her younger self stating that her younger self "is much more who she still is, surely..." (TBASS 2013,Pg.102) and does not deal with the reality of the woman she has become. This conflict is then transferred onto SP as Sandra's actions place more responsibility onto SP while all the time she wants her to remain on h

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