Munro's focus in telling Edie's story is to connect ignorance with love. As Loretta Bird explains to Alice Kelling, "'You never know what these girls'll do next,' she said. 'It's not they mean harm so much, as they're ignorant,'" (Munro, 143). Edie's naivety by the way of life and love gets her entangled in the oldest romance story in the book: waiting for the letter/call that is never going to come. Throughout the novel, Edie is presented as a child: playing dress up in Mrs. Peebles lavish closet, admiring herself in a mirror, and fearing the discovery of authorities while snooping. Her early characterization foreshadows the relationship she has with Chris, the pilot. He uses her innocence against her and leads her on unfairly; this establishes Munro's connection of love to ignorance. Later, she uses this theme to present ignorance as a means to love. Edie's future husband, the mailman, is ignorant of Edie's true intention while she waits by the mailbox in hopes of Chris's letter. Still, his ignorance pays off in the end, as he thinks Edie was waiting for him, and he ultimately wins the prize of her love.
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