Marriage in Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
In the novel Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis touches upon various issues that characterize American society. Marriage was one of these various issues that Lewis focused on. In the story, George Babbitt was married and his best friend, Paul Riesling, was married. They both seemed uneasy about their marriages and were not pleased with their situations. George always seemed to care less for Myra, "she was as sexless as an anemic nun... no one, save [except] Tinka, was all interested in her or entirely aware that she was alive" (Lewis 7). Paul also truly disliked his wife Zilla, "why I want to kill her", " (i)f I only could [divorce her]! If she'd just give me the chance!" (Lewis 58-59). This lack of feeling for their wives is what Lewis focused on in the rest of the story.
Lewis brings about conflict between these two characters and their wives. He brings about the idea of infidelity between the two married couples. The dissatisfaction for their wives leads George and Paul to lust for other women. Lewis is making the point that when men are dissatisfied with their women, they go and try to find others to satisfy their "hunger".
George dreamt of a fairy girl that he could run off with and escape from his friends and most of all, his wife (Lewis 2-3). Babbitt also had two affairs on which Lewis indirectly, with class points out. Babbitt and his buddies in Maine, picked up a prostitute in which some devious behavior took place. This behavior "was never known to his family, nor to anyone in Zenith... (i)t was not officially recognized even by himself". His chief affair was with a widow, Tanis Judique. He had even spent the night with her, but he later dumped her to be free. Paul on the other hand only had one affair. He had an affair with a lady named May Arnold that he had been writing, who lived in Chicago. This affair with May was Paul's infidelity to his nagging wife Zilla.
By describing these instances of men cheating, Lewis revealed to his readers what was not commonly portrayed about American culture.
I married George because I thought he was a gentleman, I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe. He is no more of value than of the ashes of the valley. The pathetic, delusional man; thinking he really can please me with stupid words. ‘I love you Myrtle. I would do anything for you, and you know that’. But we all know that words are not REALLY made of gold, don’t we?
Zora Neale Hurston has been married and divorced twice, which assisted her in developing Joe and Missy May’s marriage. Hurston’s rocky marriage occurred just prior to the writing of “The Gilded Six-Bits” which portrays a marriage replete with infidelity and hatred. Missy May’s infidelity tests the strength of her marriage with Joe, which ultimately succeeds the trials and tribulations. Perhaps Hurston spared Joe and Missy May’s marriage to prove to herself that marriages can stand through infidelity, because neither of her marriages continued through the hardships. Hurston saw marriage as an important commitment capable of forgiveness and recommitment. Hurston creates Joe, as the character that forgives and forgets, possibly this is what she expected or desired in her own husbands. Hurston uses her own life experiences to depict her characters a...
The Attitudes Toward Marriage in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice in 1813. The novel provides a great deal of information and gives us a detailed insight to the different attitudes towards marriages at the time. Pride and Prejudice is focused and written about the lifestyles among "gentry". The "gentry" was the middle to upper class citizens in England. In the novel Jane Austin shows us that social status is a very important factor and that is was essential to have connections with people higher up in the gentry.
He’s a smart, small man that works well and could possibly find a lady to settle down with. George still tho chooses to stay with Lennie, Lennie is also really hard to take care of as George says, “I could get along so easy and nice without you on my tail.” (Pg7) George knows tho that without Lennie he’d get lonely. He knows that without anybody his life would be even harder. George says “I want you to stay with me lennie.” (Pg 13) That proves to us that George needs lennie. George knows as a migrant worker companions are hard to get. Even know George has Lennie he still finds himself lonely. As the quote at the beginning of my essay says you need an intimate relationship too to not be lonely. That's what George is missing in his life. He doesn't have a girl to be with which makes him depressed, and lonely. Lennie also gets in the way of him getting a girl but george needs Lennie. George knows that it's better to stay with lennie
Britain was committed to imperializing countries that benefitted them. Benjamin Disraeli, the British prime minister during the 1870’s, persuaded Great Britain to imperialize because it was a way to guard vital British markets overseas, resources, and jobs, as well as enhance their well known reputation as being the most powerful country (Butler). Great Britain wanted to spread its culture and religion (Butler). As a result, Christianity was dispersed imperialized countries under the name of Great Britain. Another major reason Great Britain imperialized in Africa was because other European countries that were participating in the “Scramble for Africa” (Berard). This was the time period where certain European countries fought over what countries in Africa to imperialize. Britain wanted more power, and therefore, more land as well. Therefore, they resorted to imperializing lands such as those in Africa.
Being African American means more than just having descendants from Africa or having distinct physical features. It is about a culture that has been resilient for hundreds of years in a country that devalued its people. The best word to describe African American or Black Culture is resourceful. There are aspects of this culture, such as the folk music and food that came about because slave used what they had available to them and made the best out of it. Now, it has grown to a culture that is not only valued by its people, but also is used by others that do not associate with being African American or
Marriage in Pride and Prejudice It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife." Jane Austen provides subsequent argument with the first line of her novel, Pride and. Prejudice. The.
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First off, New Orleans, a lively place that no one would want to miss, can only be experienced with my own eyes. Culture is what New Orleans live for and culture is what I thrive for. This city is stuffed with an abundance of heritage that creates a vessel of life and turns it into what we know about New Orleans today. To be able to see all of the influences from the French and the Africans, or any other nationality would be an interesting experience. There is a whole bundle of different foods that have their own unique appearances and tastes that is only local to New Orleans, and I would love to taste every single thing there if I were
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that she is humoured by the idea that every young an who has a large
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