Relationships in "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses"

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Recommended: Analysis of girls in summer dress by Irwin shaw

How would one feel if ones significant other was constantly disobeying the relationship? In Irwin Shaw’s “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses”, he shows how important having a trustworthy and honest relationship is. This short story highlights the flaws in romantic relationships by demonstrating how one needs some type of relationship in life, how fragile a relationship can be, and how many take loved ones for granted.

Friendship, Role model, Boyfriend/Girlfriend- all these are examples of a relationship. Everyone sees them constantly begin and end throughout life, but they are still always there. In this short story, Frances and Michael are having a problem with their marriage because Michael can’t keep his eyes off other women. “This is the story of a troubled relationship of which only one climatic moment is overly depicted” (Giles 5). This quote shows how Frances stayed in this relationship for many years, even though Michael looking at other women is a reoccurring problem. Frances stayed in this relationship because she was afraid to lose her romantic relationship.

“As with other stories by Irwin Shaw, this one touches on the theme of lost or disappearing youth” (Archer 2). Frances is afraid that she will lose all relationships in life if she loses Michael, even with her friends that live in the country. Frances chooses to spend the whole day with Michael instead of visiting her friends, because she thinks the time alone will give them a chance to save their relationship. With Frances being so insecure, it confirms that everyone needs a relationship to feel belonging in their life.

“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...

... middle of paper ...

...ese kind of foolish acts take place every day in society. Michael and Frances obviously love and care about each other; this was just a small bump in the road that they have overcome. It could have been a fork in the road, and they could have gone their separate ways. But they stuck through it, just like most of relationships. This is important because it shows that most people can overcome any problem if they really tried.

Works Cited

Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol. 6. Englewood Cliffs: Salem, 1981.

Giles, James. “Irwin Shaw.” Literature Resource Center. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.

Shaw, Irwin, and Shinpei Tokiwa. The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1988.

“The Girls in Their Summer Dresses.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.

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