The Israel of Mary-Beth Hughes – Glorifying the common occurrence Mary-Beth Hughes' short story entitled "Israel" is a rich literary piece. Every detail in the story has some sort of meaning and is there for an area. When broken down, this story has a lot to say, however, when summarized, the plot is quite simple. The story contains five characters, the mother, the father, the daughter and the mother's friends, Dr. Derek Duncalf and Dr. Dan Ovita. The time period is unknown, except that it is a time when Israelis are fighting to keep their homeland. The narration of the story is in the first person, told by the daughter at all times. The setting is a house in London where the mother lives with her daughter. The father lives in a bachelor pad down the street. The plot is that of a dysfunctional family where the mother lives with her daughter and the father has taken refuge in a separate house down the street. Dr. Duncalf is motivated to have a relationship with the mother, while Duncalf's friend, Dr. Ovita, is a pleasant man who is able to solve his daughter's problems by letting her come to Israel with him. The daughter communicates with her parents by mail, and in each response her father signs it "our love." The story summarized above illustrates that life is not perfect and that people must make difficult decisions to make their lives happy, satisfying, and acceptable to them. The characters in this story all display verisimilitude, making them important characters. Each has their own personality, therefore making them round characters and not minor characters. This story, like most literature, contains more than just the details above. Within the basic story there are oppositions, paradoxes, symbols, conflicts, complexities, ambiguities, tensions and ironies; and each contributes what the reader can understand and associate with the story. The story's title, "Israel," refers to where the daughter moved to. The country of Israel is also where Doctor Ovita is from and where he treats soldiers. Israel itself represents a country that is currently fighting. They are fighting for themselves and fighting for their freedom. This ties into the story in such a way that each character does whatever they need to do to be happy..