Edie the "hired girl"

When reading Alice Munro's short story How I Met My Husband, one quickly gets perspective on the life of Edie. Edie is many times referred to as the "hired girl." She cleans the dishes, does the laundry, and tends to other needs of the household in order to free up time for the family to do other things such as nap, go to town, see a movie, etc. Edie is used for her working skills, but other than that, is valued by the the Pebbleses very little. She is never invited to participate in any of the family activities or outings. Edie's relationship with the Peebleses is paralleled in her relationship with Mr. Watters. Like the Peebleses, Mr. Watters also uses Edie. Just as she uses her working skills to enhance the lives of the Peebles family, so does she give of herself for Mr. Watter's own enjoyment. Moreover, just as she gets little in return for her work with the Peebles (besides a paycheck), so does she benefit little from Mr. Watters himself because of his failure to keep in touch (besides the fact that she met her husband as an indirect result of knowing Mr. Watters): "It never crossed my mind for a long time a letter might not come. I believed in it coming just like I believed the sun would rie in the morning" (Munro, 145). Clearly, Edie plays the role of the "hired girl", who gives but receives little, in more than one way.