In the short story “Low Visibility” written by Margaret Murphy the main character is called Laura.Laura is, because of her husband who has been repressing her for a long time, a very insecureperson. She does not have the courage to fight back when he gives her orders. In the text it says,that she used to be a spirited person who “could make the whole room laugh” but because of hermarriage with John that energy has slowly left her. John wanted to marry her because of her spiritbut day by day she drifted in to the sad and hollow frame of mind John himself was trying toescape from.Laura has no liberty in their marriage and John sees her only as an object. In every healthymarriage there is love, but it does not show in this marriage. Perhaps there was a little spark in thebeginning but that love is certainly gone. He hurts her both physically and mentally and of courseshe is not satisfied with this but she has become afraid of him and does not dare to go in his way.If she does oppose him he either yells at her or hits her. She feels as if she is invisible and she feelsthat no one can see that she is suffering. She is very troubled and it seems that only a small thingwould push her over the edge into madness.In the story, Laura and John are watching TV. They are watching the news about the riots that arehappening in the streets. In the streets all kinds of violence and crime are happening. People areclearly furious about something. John does not feel the same way, because if he did he would ofcourse be out there with them. Shops are being robbed and all sorts of things are being stolen.Scoundrels are stealing everything from TVs to cucumbers. Cars and buildings are set on fire and itseems that nothing can be done to stop it. Here, there and everywhere things are burning.Anarchy reigns in the streets. A car drives through the streets and crashes because of the Chaos.The mob immediately pulls out the driver and beat him. John thinks that all the people in thestreets are bums and he thinks that they should be taught a lesson.The story contains two worlds or stories. The first world or story has its location in John andLaura’s apartment. John and Laura are watching the newest updates on the riots. Through thestory the riots come closer to their apartment, and as they come closer Laura feels a strange tension in her body. A tension she has not felt once in her marriage with John.In John and Laura’s apartment a set of rules, made by John, decides who can say what and whenthey can say it. John does not have to answer to these rules, because he made them. It is onlyLaura who has to follow these rules and if she breaks them John punishes her. In the apartmentJohn is in charge.The second world or story takes its place in the streets. In the streets people express their feelingsby terrorising the city. The people that take part in the riots are able to talk for themselves andhere no one is in charge. It is a free world out there.Eventually the riots and the fires reach Laura and John’s block. John rushes to the street to teachthe bovver boys a lesson or two. But things do not go quite as he had planned. He is punched inthe face and he falls to the ground. Now he is not as cocky as he was when he first went to teachthe bullies a lesson. He tells her to help him. She says or does nothing. He becomes angry and he isable to raise himself to his elbows. This is normally a sign of expected pain and a tingle runsthrough her body. He says, “What are you waiting for?” and stretches his arm towards her. Hisfingers are bloody, and she does not want blood on her hands. She does not know if she shouldtake his hand and carry on with her miserable life with him or if she, for once, should make adecision on her own and let him lie in the street.While this is going on in her mind a man passes and says something to her. He does not evennotice John. Now, out here in the streets, their roles have been changed. John is no longer incharge of her and she can do whatever she wants.He tries to give a last order. His voice is trembling with fear. He does not know how to react toLaura’s sudden change of mind. It all ends with Laura walking away. She is now her old self again.The way she was before she met John.The title “Low Visibility” could, and it probably does, refer to Laura’s state of mind before enteringthe street. She did not see things clearly. It was as if she had blurry eyesight. Then after enteringthe street she sees things in the way she used to, and now her eyesight is clear again.