Introductory paragraph- ends with thesis- In Shirley Jackson's short stories, seemingly happy couples experience unusual encounters that force their wives to admit truths about their marriages and themselves that they have tried to ignore Shirley Jackson's "Men with their Big Shoes" is a great example of this motif. The story opens with the joyful young Mrs. Hart peacefully congratulating herself on how her life has turned out. She is a newlywed who lives comfortably in the country, in a house with large windows she can look out of, chintz curtains with matching linings, and even a maid who complains about dirt marks on the floor, just like a real maid. Mrs. Hart is at first shy and uncomfortable around her housekeeper, Mrs. Anderson, but chooses to ignore her inner doubts as she has heard many stories of housewives initially intimidated by the help. Instead of focusing on this discomfort, "Mrs. Hart never allowed herself to think about Mrs. Anderson beyond feeling comfortably proud that she had done all the housework for her" (short story, p. 256). More than a month had passed before Mrs. Hart recognized "with a sickening conviction that this little and feeble inconvenience was justified" (Short and Tempestuous 256). As Mrs. Anderson continues to work for Mrs. Hart, it becomes clear that Mrs. Anderson is "a disruptive invader from an unhappy marriage, poisoning the well of domestic happiness for her employer, Mrs. Hart" (criticism) . Every morning Mrs. Hart sips her tea, and every morning Mrs. Anderson shares her unwelcome complaints about her husband, Mr. Anderson. He updates Mrs. Hart on their latest arguments while Mrs. Hart desperately tries to focus on other topics. "'Swearing and screaming,' he continued, ... middle of paper ...... 24. Literature Criticism Online. Web. February 22, 2010. Jackson, Shirley. “Men with their Big Shoes.” The New York Lottery : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. 255-64. The New York Lottery: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005. 235-54. The lottery. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005. 265-86. Press. Lowe-Evans, Mary and Karen Willingham-Sirmans "The Tooth" by Jackson. The Explicator Winter 1997: 96 Literature Resource Center: np, nd No. pages. Web March 2, 2010. Pascal, Richard. Criticism of short stories. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. 248-273 of "'Farther than Samarkand' The Theme of Escape in Shirley Jackson's "The Tooth." November 1982: 133-39. Web, Literary Criticism. 2010.