In the short story, "The Other Two," Edith Wharton reveals a situation in which there are multiple marriages. The female character in the story, Alice Haskett
Varick Waythorn, marries three times. This is a rare thing at the tum of the 21st century. She does not seem to be happy, but she is not sad. She appears to be content and nonchalant. This is a mediocre marriage.
“The Other Two” was written in 1904. In the story, Wharton reveals how a woman must behave in order to survive. Alice Waythorn, the wife in the story, seems to throw herself from one marriage into another. She knows how to get what she wants from a man. Alice and her third husband seem to like each other; however, their marriage cannot be called happy.
The story features the …show more content…
The marriage is complicated and "devalued" because of Waythorn 's feelings and realizations and his wife 's attitudes. His ambivalence toward the marriage lies in the attitudes that the two spouses bring to the marriage. In ' 'The Other Two," Waythorn at first believes his wife to be perfect and untainted, even though he is aware that she was married twice before. The full realization of his wife 's past takes him by surprise when he encounters the other men in her life. Because Alice has a "past," her latest marriage is slightly sullied, stemming from the fact that she gave parts of herself away to the other men. Therefore, the marriage seems to Waythorn, tainted (Wharton 226).
Edith Wharton writes that "Waythorn was an idealist. He always refused to recognize unpleasant contingencies till he found himself confronted with them, and then he saw them followed by a spectral train of consequences" (Wharton 232). The realities of his wife 's ex-husbands are always present. He knew about her divorces when he began to court her but refused to think about this. He is able to ignore his wife 's past until the two men enter his life. Waythorn 's attitude is that if he ignores the realities they will go …show more content…
She reveals how men can delude themselves before they are married only to be disappointed by the bitter truth.
The story functions as a cautionary tale about choosing a marriage partner. It raises the issue of marrying someone who has shared their life and has a history with someone else.
Marriage to someone who was been married before makes the other partner wonder what the spouse 's life was like when he or she was married to another person. In Waythorn 's case, he did not wonder until the other men entered his life. Furthermore, he never considers the importance of his own past behavior. This is an issue that is relevant in current times, although divorce rarely raises an eyebrow.
Waythorn 's marriage in "The Other Two" is thus complicated by the attitudes of the participants in the marriage. Mrs. Waythorn seems to have matrimonial motives that are questionable. She marries in one instance for social advancement and the other for a sense of propriety. Her third husband, for his part, ignores obvious realities and is extremely dissatisfied when he is finally faced with them. However, the story ends with a sense of resolution, albeit an
uneasy
Varick Waythorn, marries three times. This is a rare thing at the tum of the 21st century. She does not seem to be happy, but she is not sad. She appears to be content and nonchalant. This is a mediocre marriage.
“The Other Two” was written in 1904. In the story, Wharton reveals how a woman must behave in order to survive. Alice Waythorn, the wife in the story, seems to throw herself from one marriage into another. She knows how to get what she wants from a man. Alice and her third husband seem to like each other; however, their marriage cannot be called happy.
The story features the …show more content…
The marriage is complicated and "devalued" because of Waythorn 's feelings and realizations and his wife 's attitudes. His ambivalence toward the marriage lies in the attitudes that the two spouses bring to the marriage. In ' 'The Other Two," Waythorn at first believes his wife to be perfect and untainted, even though he is aware that she was married twice before. The full realization of his wife 's past takes him by surprise when he encounters the other men in her life. Because Alice has a "past," her latest marriage is slightly sullied, stemming from the fact that she gave parts of herself away to the other men. Therefore, the marriage seems to Waythorn, tainted (Wharton 226).
Edith Wharton writes that "Waythorn was an idealist. He always refused to recognize unpleasant contingencies till he found himself confronted with them, and then he saw them followed by a spectral train of consequences" (Wharton 232). The realities of his wife 's ex-husbands are always present. He knew about her divorces when he began to court her but refused to think about this. He is able to ignore his wife 's past until the two men enter his life. Waythorn 's attitude is that if he ignores the realities they will go …show more content…
She reveals how men can delude themselves before they are married only to be disappointed by the bitter truth.
The story functions as a cautionary tale about choosing a marriage partner. It raises the issue of marrying someone who has shared their life and has a history with someone else.
Marriage to someone who was been married before makes the other partner wonder what the spouse 's life was like when he or she was married to another person. In Waythorn 's case, he did not wonder until the other men entered his life. Furthermore, he never considers the importance of his own past behavior. This is an issue that is relevant in current times, although divorce rarely raises an eyebrow.
Waythorn 's marriage in "The Other Two" is thus complicated by the attitudes of the participants in the marriage. Mrs. Waythorn seems to have matrimonial motives that are questionable. She marries in one instance for social advancement and the other for a sense of propriety. Her third husband, for his part, ignores obvious realities and is extremely dissatisfied when he is finally faced with them. However, the story ends with a sense of resolution, albeit an
uneasy