Reading Irving’s “The Wife”, I found that the author portrayed women as little mice that followed their husbands wherever they took them in life. Although we hear some stories about abusive husbands and obedient wives, this story about man and wife was just the opposite. This couple was deeply in love, so smitten with each other that it could make another sick.
When Leslie found out that he had no more money, the first thing he thought of was his wife, Mary. He was deeply terrified that she would leave him because she would not want to live a different lifestyle. Leslie believed that Mary loved him, but loved him especially for his money, therefore portraying women as dependent on men for their financial stability and loving nothing in the world more than money. However, once Leslie told Mary about his situation, the first thing she did was hug him, proving Irving’s portrayal of women wrong. Mary was ready to start this new beginning of their life together. In fact, “...she was only anxious to conform to their altered fortunes (528).”
It seems that Irving believes that women could not care less about how much money their husbands make. And to a certain extent for some people, that is true. However, for others, that is not the case. Irving portrayed Mary as a supporter and huge lover of her husband no matter what was to happen. That was acceptable then, but these days, not much of that is seen anymore.
What needs to be done in America to change this? How can we better promote marriage? Or is it no longer a value as it was in Irving's time?
ReplyDeleteI don't think America itself can really promote marriage. The divorce rate is over fifty percent now, and some Americans do not even believe in marriage anymore. It seems as if Americans decide to get married and believe that it will be happily ever after, and then a few years go by and marriage isn't what they expected, so they divorced. Sticking around and sorting through arguments and compromising and support are not values in today's time as they were in Irving's.
ReplyDeleteI know that there is controversy whenever His name is mentioned, but I truly believe and have witnessed multiple times with my eyes, that, when a couple has God in their lives (that is, they each individually have a relationship with Him and a relationship with Him together, and together and separately they live their life for Him) marriages work. There are still rough days, there are still arguments, but never once have these couples doubted each other, left each other or not supported one another. They look at each other like they know without a doubt they were made for one another.
In my opinion, the only way to fix marriage is to fix society. Society's morals and values need to be changed. What is promoted on TV and movies is not real life. It does not work. The problem is teenagers AND adults believing those lies, and the divorce rates in America are the result of that.