Analysis Of ' You Or Someone Like You '

Harriet finds Phoebe, an old friend from her years in college, interesting, because her marriage is like a dream. She has not changed a bit, and although she has children, she and her husband continue to go gallivanting about the world in search of adventure (Sayers, 14-15). Though Phoebe and her husband are not very successful parents, Phoebe’s marriage is one of the “success” stories that begin to change Harriet’s mindset about the concept of marriage from it being repulsive to it being something desirable. Marriage is works through compromise between the husband and wife; a woman who does not wish to be a housewife, but prefers to work can discuss her feelings with her husband in order to generate a resolution that leaves both the adults and the children happy with the result.

“Why Did I Get Married?” directed and produced by Tyler Perry is a movie based on four couples who take a reunion vacation to the Colorado Mountains in order to reunite with friends from college. On this vacation things didn’t go according to plan. Throughout the movie there was heartbreak, infidelity, suppressed feelings, conflict, and secrets raging throughout each of the couples’ relationship in some aspect. With these unfortunate events occurred at various times throughout the film it cause their trip to evolve from a place to relax, enjoy friends, and time off from work into an emotional and tense atmosphere with the involved couple seeking validation from the other couples on the reason why their marriages are the way they are. Even though the movie ended on a good note in their celebration of Janet Jackson’s character (Pat) receiving an award one of the marriages did not survive. This couple’s relationship will be my focus for this paper.

In paragraphs three through seven, Brady provides the reader with what she desires in a wife. Through repetition and tone, she shows the reader the unrealistic roles of a wife.

Television psychologists and pop culture self-help gurus tell us that marriage is hard work; marriage is compromise; marriage is a choice between being right, and being happy. All of these statements are true. What these experts don’t tell us, however, is that marriage is also about putting on blinders, or looking on the bright side, or one of a hundred other trite phrases to explain the art of self-deception. In marriage, there are times when we may find it necessary to look the other way from our spouse’s faults or indiscretions, in the interest of self-preservation. For if we examine these problems too closely, our darkest, most secret fears may come true. Therefore, it can seem easier to focus on the positive. In her poem “Surprise,” Jane Kenyon uses denial, selective perception, and fear of betrayal to illustrate the self-deception that can occur in marriage.

In Ethan Frome, Ethan lives in an unhappy marriage with a cruel woman, but due to his responsibilities, he cannot live with his true love, Mattie. In the Age of Innocence movie, Newland and Ellen have feelings for each other, but neither can leave their unhappy marriages without being ridiculed by society. Wharton was also in an unpleasant marriage, but she was brave enough to leave her unhappiness, even though she knew it would bring on harsh criticism from her peers. In her time, marriages were not about love at all, but were about bringing important families together. Wharton shows through her novels that when people are not happy with these marriages, they are often too afraid of becoming an outcast of society to leave their marriage and pursue true love. However, she shows through her own life that if one is brave enough to stand up and accept criticism, one can still live a happy life of true

Just how important is loyalty in a marriage? Set against the hollow countryside of New England, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton sets out to answer that question. The novel is centered on a troubled, complicated man named Ethan who finds himself torn when forced to decide whether he should be loyal to his tyrannical, sickly wife Zeena, or give into his feelings for the young and attractive Mattie Silver, who is also Zeena’s younger cousin. Throughout the story, Ethan’s loyalty is tested by his growing affection towards Mattie, and eventually he is unable to control his feelings for her. Though Ethan is disloyal to his wife, the reader will find themselves sympathizing with Ethan. It’s obvious that Ethan’s loyalty to Zeena is only making him miserable, which causes one to question how positive loyalty is in some situations. Ethan gave up everything he had: his reputation, his morals, and ultimately the sanctity of his marriage because he desired to be happy. Edith Wharton makes sure to hide all these messages using various tools and nuances, creating a very thought-provoking story. In Ethan Frome, literary elements such as symbols, foil, and conflict are used to accentuate that marriages need more than loyalty to be successful.

Richard Carver’s “Cathedral” focuses on the dealing and overcoming of predispositions. On a more critical accord, “Cathedral” exemplifies the testing journey of marriage. Carver reveals the reality of close outside friendships impends on marriage through unsettling insecurities, conflicting emotions, and ultimately leading to betrayal.

Harmful relationships are a common topic in literature and pop culture, because while they are terrible, they are common. Kay Boyle portrays a toxic relationship in “Astronomer’s Wife” and how it affects the harmed party. In “Astronomer’s Wife,” Mrs. Ames lives in a silent house with a dreamer husband, who has his head in the clouds and leaves her on Earth. A broken toilet brings the plumber, who leads her to ponder her relationship, her husband, and humanity in general. In “Astronomer’s Wife,” Kay Boyle suggests through the story’s plot and structure that weak-willed people imprisoned in toxic relationships suffer considerable blows to their psyche and identity.

Modern literature is known for questioning society and its various conventions. One question that these works often ask is, “What is real?” Some modern authors explore this question by placing their characters within self-constructed illusions that are later shattered by the introduction of reality. Marriages are frequently at the center of this theme, with one spouse crafting an illusory impression of the other. Modern literature demonstrates that a marriage built upon illusion will falter when exposed to reality.

This story complicates the idea of how a woman feels about her career and the man she loves versus how she should feel from the people of her

Moira Kelly graduates from college and lands the perfect job at a well-known company in Philadelphia. As her career takes off, she longs for a personal life to complete the picture, and then meets Nick, a slightly older, charming man who works for the same company. Even though Nick is married, they begin a relationship that scarcely has a chance to heat up before his wife discovers their secret, setting off a string of events that lead to tragedy. Set in the late 1960s, a volatile and changing time in America when the divorce rate begins its climb, both mistress and wife must

George and Simon are inseparable friends, until one day a woman enters the picture. As Simon’s life of playing the role of bachelor ends, George is left with feelings of Simon’s demise as a full man. Upon their reunion, after many years of living their lives separately, George can’t comprehend Simon’s happiness. Throughout their visit, George finds Simon has succumbed to what married life inevitably brings, loss of one’s identity. Simon couldn’t possibly be as happy as he appears, George assumes. He looks around at his wife, his family and his home. This, to George, is a man who once had intelligence and direction but is now merely an empty shell, an out of shape, enslaved empty shell of a man. It is clear that George, like many men, find marriage an end to their individuality. Largely, they do not promote and encourage their friends to propose. Committing to a woman, settling down, should not be seen as bad news in the eyes of one’s male friends. This fear can be seen in females as well, but predominantly men will shy away first from taking the big step of marriage. The idea that one cannot remain a whole person while committing to another is simply an excuse

The subject of divorce provided Howells the opportunity to show himself as a serious-minded author, who focused on matters of social significance. With his democratic philosophy, Howells wanted to disturb a class-bound order that hindered the growth of democracy in the same way he wanted to put a truthful spin on the usual love plot. Howells recognized that divorce carried the potential to do both, in real life and in fiction. However, not without complications. Riley explains how, “After the

The final scene of Nuala O’Faolain’s memoir Are You Somebody has several aspects that differ from as well as are similar to the endings of the other Irish works we have read in class. Unique to Are You Somebody, the memoir does not conclude with a complete resolution. She also begs for the reader’s pity, which the other authors with even worse situations do not resort to. However, her memoir also has numerous aspects in common with the other works. Similar to Bonaparte in The Poor Mouth and O’Connor in An Only Child, O’Faolain looks outward toward her future. However, similar to McGahern All Will Be Well, she also reflects on her past. Although the authors all face different situations, they are overall very similar in how they respond to their fate in the final scenes of their works.

The ending of Are You Somebody has several differences as well as similarities with the endings of the other Irish works we have read. In the final scene of Are You Somebody, O’Faolain has conflicting feelings about her past and future and poses many questions to herself. She toggles between regret and resignation, preventing the memoir from having an official resolution, whereas the other works have more of a definite conclusion. Another major difference is that O’Faolain appears to beg for the readers’ pity more in the final scenes than the other authors. However, the other works’ endings also have numerous elements in common with Are You Somebody. Similar to An Only Child and The Poor Mouth, the stories end with the characters looking outward toward the future. However, O’Faolain reflects on the past in the ending of Are You Somebody, which McGahern also does in All Will Be Well. Overall, despite their differences, the memoirs’ endings are more alike than they are different.