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In A Matter of Balance, balance is an important theme to Harold, mentally, and to the bikers, physically. Unfortunately, the three men’s lack of balance determines the ill fate of the bikers. Harold’s unbalanced personality, his paranoia, and his bitter frustration about his wife’s death cause him to make an unbalanced decision about whether or not to help the two stranded men at the end of the story. Because of his wife’s death, Harold has been ill for over a year and sees a psychiatrist every Thursday. The fact that Harold feels “ like a snake or an arbutus, shedding his old skin for a new, better one,” and that he only hikes because “nothing else had seemed to work” proves that there are obvious problems in Harold’s mind. As Harold tries to distance himself from the men, he worries about running into a mountie, because, “any mountie would think him mad,” if he explains he is frightened of the bikers. Anyone with a balanced personality would see a mountie as a symbol of safety.
Approximate Word count = 650
Approximate Pages = 2.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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