The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

From the beginning of the story, Shaw sets up his readers to sympathize with both characters. Any woman who caught her husband looking at women as often as her husband Michael does, would feel insecure and hurt. Although we are not knowledgeable about this from the beginning, as the story develops we come to find that Michael observes women in this manner frequently. What may appear as insecurity on Frances part when they first start arguing, comes to be a valid interrogation about her husband's intentions and behavior. As the story wraps up Frances is able to pull out a confession from Michael that he may someday act on his "wants" and desires when looking at beautiful women. This is the final straw that breaks the camel's back with Frances. Michael's confession makes the reader sympathize with the character of Frances. From Mike's point of view, we can initially sympathize with him in the fact that his wife seems overly suspicious of his innocent glances at other women. Frances proceeds with a number of questions that make her character appear apprehensive and needy. The reader can sympathize with Michael as he feels the need to defend his love for his wife from a couple "innocent" glances, but later we come to find that these looks aren't innocent at all. In the final pages of the story Michael is pushed to his breaking point and openly confesses his possible unfaithfulness in the future. It is impossible to not sympathize with Frances at this point in the story.