Discuss the plot of "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro.

What happens when a girl gets dumped?  This is the problem
faced by the main character in Alice Munro’s “An Ounce of Cure.”  The narration is first
person point of view with the protagonist, an unnamed teenager, serving as the
narrator.

Exposition-

The
setting is a conservative southern town in 1960s.  The town does not really like
drinking.  When the narrator was in the seventh grade, she signed an alcohol abstinence
pledge.  Her mother never drinks and her father has an occasional beer outside of the
house.  Surprisingly, almost no teens drink either.

The
narrator babysits and has been labeled as really reliable.  She primarily babysits for
some new people in town who do keep alcohol in their
house.

Rising
Action

At the beginning of the school year,
the narrator goes crazy about a boy named Martin.  She thinks of him as her Prince
Charming.  He gives her the “first kiss.” In two months, he dumps her for another
girl.

The narrator is heartbroken.  She cries and thinks
about him constantly.  One night, she tries a half-hearted suicide attempt. She takes
six pills and stops.  Each pill represented her feelings: sorrow, anguish, depression,
heartbreak, confusion, and frustration.   Mom notices something is wrong.  She tells her
mother about Martin. Without thinking about the daughter’s feelings, she just tells the
narrator that it was for the best. 

The
Conflict Intensifies

The next weekend, the
narrator babysits for the new people, the Berrymans.  She spots the alcohol in the
kitchen.  It is like a hidden treasure that might help her heart.  She pours  a glass
full of vodka with a half ounce of scotch.  She drinks the entire thing and is satisfied
that it has helped ease the hurt. Of course, then it hits
her.

The
Climax

She is drunk.  She vomits everywhere
including on the new rug and herself.  She has friends come over who help her.  The
Berrymans come home early, and she is fired on the spot.  She tells the Berrymans
everything from the boy to the suicide attempt to the drinking to the throwing
up. 

The Falling
Action

Mr. Berryman takes her home and makes
her tell her mother everything.  Her mother tells a friend and all of the narrator’s
friends tell their friends.  By Monday morning, the narrator has earned a new reputation
which makes it sound like she is totally irresponsible and sinful.  The incident changes
her.

Resolution

In
the end, she forgets about Martin.  What changes her?  It was the reality of the
situation. If what happened to her happened at parties, it was not worth
it. 

I had
had a glimpse of the shameless, marvellous, shattering absurdity with which the plot of
life, though not of fiction, improvises.  I could not take my eyes off it.  I suffered a
great deal from all of the
exposure.

The girl goes off
to college and gets married. She comes back home for a funeral. Martin has become an
undertaker.  They see each other and give each other a knowing
smile.

The narrator is a dynamic character.  As the story
evolves, she changes and matures after her horrible drinking experience.  She faces the
problem of accepting who she is and learning to live in the present and make good
choices.  She is able to survive that Saturday night and make a new
beginning.