A Shining Reason To Hope There is a reason to hope in all literature. Hope can be defined as something which one longs to see realized, or in other words, any form of optimism, with a belief of a positive outcome. Hope in a piece of literature verifies a level of goodness in the world, which can be illustrated many different ways by an author. "The Shining Houses" by Alice Munro is an auspicious example of hope in a short story. Alice Munro effectively uses different techniques to present hope in "The Shining Houses." Through her use of characterization, theme and symbolism, Munro competently illustrates hope, creating o