Essay Prompt

At the start of the story, the narrator makes it clear that the citizens of Hadleyburg are proud of their reputation and certainly seem to care that everyone knows about it. Yet in setting up the central conflict of the plot, the narrator states “Hadleyburg had the ill luck to offend a passing stranger—possibly without knowing it, certainly without caring, for Hadleyburg was sufficient unto itself, and cared not a rap for strangers or their opinions.” How do you reconcile these differences? Write an argument that explains why, on the one hand, the citizens seem to care deeply about their reputation, but on the other hand, don’t seem to care what strangers think.