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GARDENS OF His MAKING: THREE STORIES BY ALICE MUNRO the forbidden fruit (turning a blind eye to Adam’s sin), or she can confront his sin, thus risking their relationship in their Garden of Eden (their home on a Canadian farm). In their home, literally a garden, a refuge from the outside world, from the judgement of others, a patriarchal figure rules over all. Here, time is suspended, and customary social rules do not apply. The temptation is personified by an older female figure (the serpent), driven by fundamentally good intentions. She observes Eve’s reluctance with bewilderment, particularly in the later narratives. She cannot comprehend why the female protagonist resists the truth about Adam. However, the Eves in these narratives have molded their self-perception in their relation to their Adams, thus not only does leaving them represent disloyalty, but also a profound challenge to their own identity. In all three narratives the female protagonists resist knowledge because knowing the truth would reveal slices of injustice and horror in their lives and that would threaten the image of their own self. In the three narratives presented, the concept of intentional blindness helps to unravel the themes of the stories. Intentional blindness is a defence mechanism, understood as a combination of several cognitive distortions, by which the human mind defends itself against information or facts that may be unpleasant or threatening to it. Its roots are often found in the search for self-protection and emotional comfort. Its function may be self-protection, i.e., the mind automatically blocks or suppresses information that may be threatening to the individual in order to protect the personality. It may also be a coping mechanism in that it helps the individual to manage or avoid stressful or unpleasant situations. When a person is confronted with information or beliefs that are contrary to reality, intentional blindness can help reduce cognitive dissonance, but it can also be used towards denying reality or truth in order to maintain a positive self-esteem, beliefs or relationships with others. Intentional blindness provides the individual with the opportunity to continue living in an illusion or within a familiar framework, which in some situations is the more emotionally comfortable choice, as by mobilizing it, there is no need to examine facts or information, the pre-existing belief system can be maintained, and thus the individual can maintain a sense of comfort and stability. Intentional blindness also provides the opportunity for the individual to use it as a mechanism to avoid taking responsibility for oneself or others. Understanding intentional blindness in this context offers a framework to understand the subtlety of the narratives and the compassion with which Munro constructs her characters, refraining from assigning blame to any one of them — regardless of the darkness these stories exude. A discussion of the three short stories follows to demonstrate the archetypal setting and plot structuring the narratives as well as the protagonists’ reliance on intentional blindness. «45 c
