Wharton and Coleridge works pose the theme of marriage in vastly different lights. Wharton through her use of humor and lighter tone conveyed that marriage can be a contract and common ground established. Coleridge illustrates an opposing view trough time and evolution of characters and tone. Her exclamatory endings speak volumes of plight that often plagues marriage in her time.
In Coleridge 's "The Other Side of the Mirror”, we are immediately shown how the speaker feels about aging and Coleridge’s general idea on it as well. Aging is the death of a woman, "A face bereft of loveliness, it had no envy now to hide" (1410). Coleridge defines a woman’s worth based on her looks, however harsh in this time if women no longer had beauty or never …show more content…
It is not that the love has died but rather taken a different shape. The maiden again must take the fall and "Never shall we see thee, maiden again," (1414) for many of the people married in that time had to learn to love one another versus starting in love. This usually meant that women had to simply adapt to their husbands and let their own wishes die off, much like the maiden herself. In becoming a part of the “whole”, she must trade her youth and freedom for comfort and stability. Marriage was a bargain and nothing more. Once more Coleridge explains her last thoughts as "The maiden must die!" (1414) losing all of herself in sacrifice to marriage and to her duty as wife. Coleridge holds no joy in the joining of man and wife; rather she identifies the suffering man women had to face to make their lives …show more content…
She wants to have a stable marriage where she may lead even if in secret and her husband follows. Her past divorces were shady but nothing is out of order. This is where they begin to bind in their marriage, and Wharton devised this, the struggle of the ex-husbands and the child coupled with the duty to the spouse makes Alice and Waythorn the perfect storm. Mr. Waythorn was compelled to love his wife as she came to him, rather than hang her for the transgressions of her past. Wharton delicately placed these characters and their evolution together for the sole purpose of sacrifice. Marriage is all about sacrifice, Waythorn turning a blind eye to Alice and Alice reserving herself to make this work. Coleridge crucifies the man for desecrating women in the path of marriage but as Wharton shows it is possible for women to control the man as
In Coleridge 's "The Other Side of the Mirror”, we are immediately shown how the speaker feels about aging and Coleridge’s general idea on it as well. Aging is the death of a woman, "A face bereft of loveliness, it had no envy now to hide" (1410). Coleridge defines a woman’s worth based on her looks, however harsh in this time if women no longer had beauty or never …show more content…
It is not that the love has died but rather taken a different shape. The maiden again must take the fall and "Never shall we see thee, maiden again," (1414) for many of the people married in that time had to learn to love one another versus starting in love. This usually meant that women had to simply adapt to their husbands and let their own wishes die off, much like the maiden herself. In becoming a part of the “whole”, she must trade her youth and freedom for comfort and stability. Marriage was a bargain and nothing more. Once more Coleridge explains her last thoughts as "The maiden must die!" (1414) losing all of herself in sacrifice to marriage and to her duty as wife. Coleridge holds no joy in the joining of man and wife; rather she identifies the suffering man women had to face to make their lives …show more content…
She wants to have a stable marriage where she may lead even if in secret and her husband follows. Her past divorces were shady but nothing is out of order. This is where they begin to bind in their marriage, and Wharton devised this, the struggle of the ex-husbands and the child coupled with the duty to the spouse makes Alice and Waythorn the perfect storm. Mr. Waythorn was compelled to love his wife as she came to him, rather than hang her for the transgressions of her past. Wharton delicately placed these characters and their evolution together for the sole purpose of sacrifice. Marriage is all about sacrifice, Waythorn turning a blind eye to Alice and Alice reserving herself to make this work. Coleridge crucifies the man for desecrating women in the path of marriage but as Wharton shows it is possible for women to control the man as