In the essay, “A Matter of Life and Death”, by Timothy Aubry, the narrator speaks about his parents marriage and his childhood growing up with them. In the beginning of the essay, the main character starts off by talking about his nightmares and how his wife always stays by his side no matter the circumstances. Fearing for himself, he was unaware of the situation his parents were going through. Divorce: “As a thing that’s supposed to fill up your days until you die, your marriage becomes like an emblem of your life.”(3) Aubry’s parents influenced him on marriage in both a negative and positive way, leading him to a persona of emptiness and confidence, giving him hope. He goes on to say that “your marriage partner, in other words, allows you
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He may still fear that his own marriage could end up like his parents, but the fact that his wife is there for him no matter the situation makes him feel safe and sound. When he has a nightmare, “his wife’s presence intrudes all the way. And not just an imagined version, but the actual physical person, right at the threshold of [his] bad dream, ready to pull [him] back into the room, either kindly or cruelly.”(4) He confesses that “thanks to her, he is no longer afraid.”(4) This explains why Aubry had a negative viewpoint on marriage. He was scared that his own relationship would turn out to be dull, filled with anger like his mother and father. But thanks to his parents for giving him a life lesson he could use as an example, it led Aubry in a good path to a healthy marriage with his wife. Aubry has hope and faith. His own self knows that his marriage is strong: “I’m not dead and we’re going to be together like this for as long as I can …show more content…
His parents changed his perspective on marriage in both good and bad, making him a stronger. Aubry saw commitment as a sort of trap and the “endlessness of it”(2) had overcome him and he knew for himself that he would not want to go through what his parents had. He wanted something better. It may so happen that marriage is not for everyone, but if you find the right person, and they stick by your side through thick and thin, then marriage becomes a wonderful thing that makes you want to hold on to that person for as long as they can, like Aubry
He may still fear that his own marriage could end up like his parents, but the fact that his wife is there for him no matter the situation makes him feel safe and sound. When he has a nightmare, “his wife’s presence intrudes all the way. And not just an imagined version, but the actual physical person, right at the threshold of [his] bad dream, ready to pull [him] back into the room, either kindly or cruelly.”(4) He confesses that “thanks to her, he is no longer afraid.”(4) This explains why Aubry had a negative viewpoint on marriage. He was scared that his own relationship would turn out to be dull, filled with anger like his mother and father. But thanks to his parents for giving him a life lesson he could use as an example, it led Aubry in a good path to a healthy marriage with his wife. Aubry has hope and faith. His own self knows that his marriage is strong: “I’m not dead and we’re going to be together like this for as long as I can …show more content…
His parents changed his perspective on marriage in both good and bad, making him a stronger. Aubry saw commitment as a sort of trap and the “endlessness of it”(2) had overcome him and he knew for himself that he would not want to go through what his parents had. He wanted something better. It may so happen that marriage is not for everyone, but if you find the right person, and they stick by your side through thick and thin, then marriage becomes a wonderful thing that makes you want to hold on to that person for as long as they can, like Aubry