Question

Discuss the conflict in the story, An Angel In Disguise.

Answer 1

Two of the major internal conflicts in the story are Joe and Mrs. Thompson’s feelings about Maggie. Joe couldn’t find it in himself to let Maggie go to the poor house all alone and sick so Joe decided to take her home. He tells his wife, “Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly,” said Joe. “Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life.” However, Mrs. Thompson had the opposite problem and couldn’t find it in herself to let Maggie stay with them. When she sees Maggie with Joe she loses control and gives vent, “You haven’t brought home that sick brat!” Anger and  astonishment were in the tones of Mrs. Joe Thompson; her face was in a flame. But eventually Mrs. Thompson changed her mind because of Maggie’s kindness towards them. ‘Joe did not follow; he saw that, her state had changed, and felt that it would be best to leave her alone with the child.’

The other conflict that was external were between Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and Maggie. Maggie was ill and bedridden and that caused nobody to want to adopt her. Joe decided that he couldn’t leave her there and took her to live with him and his wife. When Maggie begged him not to leave her alone he with all the compassion inside him answered, “No, dear,” he answered, in a kind voice, going to the bed, and stooping down over the child, “You sha’n’t be left here alone.”

Another conflict was that Mr. and Mrs. disagreed on the idea of adopting Maggie. “What are you going to do with that child?”

“I thought you understood me that she was to go to the poorhouse,” replied Joe, as if surprised at her question.

This was resolved when later in the story Maggie has a positive impact on their lives and they finally decided she would stay. The author tells us, ‘Joe did not see the Guardians of the Poor on that day, on the next, nor on the day following. In fact, he never saw them at all on Maggie’s account, for in less than a week Mrs. Joe Thompson would as soon leave thought of taking up her own abode in the almshouse as sending Maggie there.