IND AFF Fay Weldon

People are often unaware they are in a depraved relationship even when all signs make it clear. Realization hits at a particular instance, as it did to the main character in Fay Weldon’s short story “IND AFF”. Through the use of character development, the setting of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, and the first person narrative of a young scholar, Fay Weldon develops the central theme that a timely realization of an immoral relationship can set people free. Character development is used to show how the main character changes from being a girl caught in admiration to having a sense of maturity in her relationship with the professor, Peter. Weldon’s most developed character is the narrator, a young student with a passion for knowledge. This passion for knowledge creates a vibrant energy from the narrator, and Weldon
At one point the professor corrects the narrator about the number of people who died in WW1, not interested in what she had to say. We are even informed that the two are not meant for each other by how they eat differently. While the student finished her salad “yonks ago” the professor was “carefully extracting the pips” from his salad. Furthermore, the quote shows how the age difference is a factor why their relationship won’t work. The narrator’s youth is shown how she quickly devours her salad and is ready for the next part of the meal. On the contrary, the professor shows his old and cautious approach to life by taking his time to eat. As the story progresses, the narrator goes from admiring Peter to questioning their relationship. The narrator wonders why Peter is talking about his wife on what is supposed to be their holiday trip. After a year of being together, the narrator is still being harassed by Peter with talk about his wife. Peter’s half soul sharing with his wife and the narrator is starting to be an annoyance for the narrator. She also makes the statement “What was I doing with this man with thinning hair?” (Weldon