Why Marriages Fail by Anne Roiphe

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In Anne Roiphe’s “Why Marriages Fail,” she discusses many of the obstacles that relationships go through and the turmoil that can cause partners to split and divorce to follow. She looks at the relationship through many different perspectives to explain her reasoning and why she believes many relationship to follow this same pattern, for lack of better words, and many partners can become distressed and end up in divorce. She explores the myth of “happily ever after” and why there are many delusions in life that make people yearn for the happily ever after that they will never get, whether it be from lack of self-discipline or other problems in the relationship. Roiphe’s writings tell a deep message and it can be compared to the relationship of Will and Anna in the film Notting Hill and how their relationship, in the end, will ultimately fail.

According to Roiphe, one of the biggest obstacles that couples face is the outside pressures that can weigh down each partner in a relationship. Pressures such as job loss, illness, infertility, trouble with a child, care of aging parents and all the other plagues of life hit marriage the way hurricanes blast our shores (Roiphe 38). This is a very evident factor in Will and Anna’s relationship. While Anna has to deal with being one of the world biggest celebrities, with meetings and lunches and films she has to produce, it would be an extremely difficult task for her to juggle around her current lifestyle and fit a boyfriend in the mix. But not only that, Will has many things weighing him down as well, such as his halfwit roommate who lives with him, who he basically had to baby sit. Will also has a family who have disabilities and are struggling with money as is, and he is currently going...

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...or Will. This could show that she could never be trusted, and if she can develop feelings for another man while she is with him, what is stopping her from turning around and doing the exact same thing to Will after she gets tired of him and realizes the relationship will not work out? Whether it be the lack of communication they have, or the fact that they live two completely different dysfunctional lives, Will and Anna’s relationship will not survive and will ultimately end up in divorce. This just goes to show some of the major reasons that marriages may end of up in divorce and relationships may fail. While this not may be true for all relationships, it is a good guideline and a head start into the minds of couples as they are going through the trying times of trying to stay together when as a pair, they are very self destructive and have a toxic relationship.

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