Compare And Contrast O Youth And Beauty By John Cheever

Success, in the scope of literature, has very often been depicted as a situation that only occurs when you are a high class citizen with connections, money, and have preserved an elite status. This translates into a perpetual cycle where society has developed unrealistic standards that are consistently prompted to be upheld in the middle class. John Cheever, in “The Enormous Radio”, “The Country Husband”, and “O’ Youth and Beauty”, portrays couples that struggle with fitting into these standards and attempting to be successful as they begin in a seemingly tranquil setting, then quickly transition into chaos and complexity. Couples in these stories show that in marriage when one is exposed to certain truths, then one may realize that fulfilling …show more content…
It is occupied with families whose appearances reflect these exact features, they have young children playing in the backyard, their family car parked in the driveway, caring parents-- essentially, we get the impression that this is the ideal family. In John Cheever’s, “The Country Husband”, Francis and Julia Weed reside in this neighborhood attempting to satisfy an image of a traditional family. The story opens with Francis returning from a trip in Minneapolis to his loving, yet unaware family back in Shady Hill. In order to capture his family’s attention about his unfortunate plane ride, he begins to speak loudly saying that he “had been in a plane crash” and that he “was tired” (Cheever 327). This tactic does little to bring Francis into the spotlight in his chaotic family since his story is too “out of bounds” for their ears, and he quickly retires to bed feeling miserable and unsatisfied. Promptly, however, he snaps out of this delusion and finds sanctuary in pursuing the family’s babysitter. Upon driving her home after a prestigious dinner party, she vents to him about her problematic family and in response, he inappropriately “took her into his arms” and let her “cry on his shoulders” (Cheever 332). This outlandish idea that Francis has to lust after another young women is ludicrous; but, he keeps the act up. For days after this …show more content…
Cash and Louise Bentley lead an average upper-middle-class life that is centered around Cash’s desire to relive his youthful track star days. Cash’s reenactment of his track days transpires at parties that Cash attends with his wife; he starts by moving all the furniture into an obstacle course where he performs hurdles in front of all the party’s attendants. His desire, however, eventually spirals out of control and draws him away from the pleasure and comfort of his family when, on a Saturday night, to celebrate the couple’s 17th anniversary, Cash performs his routine of hurdling furniture and unfortunately, gets brought down by a chest carving falling down like “a ton of bricks” (Cheever 213). He breaks his legs and must endure a stay in the hospital. Upon being released from the hospital, Louise notices his declining youth in that he is becoming less able to participate in his furniture hurdling that he was able to do effortlessly before. Cash returns with his “spirits low” and feeling quite “discontented” (Cheever 214); he is now aware that things around him had “subtly changed for the worse” (Cheever 214). He has gradually developed a predisposition that the only way he has been successful in his life is when he is competing in hurdles. So, attempting to hold on to his youth with all his might in hopes that he can somehow obtain his