Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a key motif that runs throughout five of Hunt's short stories, illustrating how mysterious women are and how they give up much to create a family. The first mention of pregnancy is seen in "The Story Of," when Norma asks the waitress for walnuts. Norma's request is the first glimpse into her obsession with pregnancy. The longing to become pregnant appears over and over again in both "The Story Of" and "The Story of Of." Norma's obsession over becoming pregnant and her immersion in the Trying To Conceive website shows that woman can become so focused on becoming pregnant that they lose themselves. They want so badly to create another life that they will change theirs in drastic ways in order to do just that.

In the story, "All Hands," pregnancy again becomes an obsessive topic. Thirteen teenage girls become pregnant and the whole...