Stress

What a terrible story this was. Told from two points of view from two totally unrelated people, who really aren't connected, "Stress" does an excellent job of drawing a picture of how different two lives can be even when they are being lived in such close proximity. The first point of view is told by a woman who is only referred to as "the major-generals lover". She is a woman who thinks very highly of herself for someone who is technically, a whore. This woman spends much of her day absorbed in her own vanity and thinking disdainfully of those people who are not as well off as she is. Ironically, she has only achieved her status of wealth by sleeping with a married man that she doesn't even love. She is a gold-digger who becomes very frustrated when she cannot garner the attentions of a man who lives across from her porch. Then, the story swithches to this mans point of view. He is a teacher who is barely making ends meet caring for displaced relatives who keep showing up on his doorstep. Finally, the stress of providing for so many people is just too much for him to bare, and this man murders his wife, then turns himself in to the police. The irony is that here this is a good person, who is doing his best to care for his family, and nothing but bad things happen to him. While on the other hand, this prostitute lives comfortably and benefits from the war that is going on in her country.