# A Difference in Temperament explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Daphne du Maurier.

## What happens

A man and a woman argue about his desire to go out alone for lunch. He craves independence and freedom, while she wants to share everything and feels hurt by his secrecy. After a tense exchange, he leaves, buys her an azalea as a peace offering, but she rejects the gesture, leading to another outburst and his departure.

## Themes in this chapter

### Frustration and Disillusionment

Both characters are frustrated by their inability to understand each other's needs, leading to a cycle of hurt and resentment.

### Love and Possession

The wife's desire to share everything is perceived by the husband as possessive chaining, while she sees his independence as a rejection of their love.

### Marriage and Disappointment

The chapter depicts a marriage strained by differing temperaments, where attempts at reconciliation fail and deepen the emotional rift.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator (First Person)

The husband who desires solitude and feels trapped by his wife's need for shared experience.

### The Woman

The wife who feels wounded by her husband's desire to go out alone and longs for complete emotional intimacy.

## Key lines

> He loved to slam the front door behind him, and to walk along the street to a bus, swinging a stick. There was something about the feeling of being alone he could not explain to anyone, not even to her.

He enjoyed the act of leaving the house and walking alone, a feeling of solitude he couldn't articulate to anyone, including his wife.

_Highlights his craving for independence and the incommunicable nature of his need for solitude._

> Life is valueless unless I can share everything with you⁠—beauty, ugliness, pain. There must be no shadows between us, no quiet corners in our hearts.

She believes life has no meaning unless she can share all experiences with him, insisting on complete transparency and no hidden thoughts.

_Expresses her ideal of total emotional union, contrasting with his desire for personal space._

> He had only to make the first move. But her speech stung him, she insisted on ignoring every word he said. 'My God,' he shouted, 'there'll never be another time. I'm finished with the whole damned business, finished. Do you understand?' He left the room, and went out of the house. The door slammed behind him. 'But that's not what I meant,' he thought, 'that's not what I meant at all.'

He felt she was ignoring his attempts to reconcile, so he exploded in anger and left, only to realize afterward that his outburst was not what he truly intended.

_Illustrates the tragic miscommunication and regret that defines their conflict._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_12_se/chapters/a-difference-in-temperament
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_12_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_12_se/chapters