Marriage

Marriage is complex. After the wedding celebration and the honeymoon bliss, husbands and wives are faced with the reality that accompanies married life. Sooner or later, the couple must deal with tensions between them. A little tension in relationships every now and again is normal. However, it is how the couple handles that contention that makes the difference between a happy, well-adjusted relationship and one that is headed for trouble. The two short stories, “A Couple of Hamburgers” by James Thurber and “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw, illustrate two married couples, each with their own set of tensions in their relationship. James Thurber, wrote a story about a couple who are on a driving trip. They are constantly bickering about everything, from how to call a diner, to who is more pioneer. On the other hand, Irwin Shaw created a very different type of character. Shaw wrote about a couple from New York City who are enjoying a casual walk on a sunny February Sunday morning, but end up at a bar, drinking brandy while confronting the husband’s compulsive gawking at women. Considering the couples have two different problems, if we look for the three basic qualities a happy marriage should have, namely, communication, quality time, and honesty, the couple in “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” has more serious tension than the one in “A Couple of Hamburgers.”

Communication is very important to alleviate tension and enable couples to work out problems. Michael and Frances Loomis, from “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses,” clearly lack this skills. Good conversation can occur while couples participate in many activities. Couples can talk while taking a walk, when working around the house together, while enduring a long wait for the bus, when driving together and while in the grocery store. A couple who strives for quantity and quality in communication seizes every possible moment to talk with one another. That being said, walking toward Washington Square does not create a meaningful conversation between Michael and Frances. Instead, the very first topic Frances brings up is Michael’s ogling of passing women. Communication is a two-way street. Both spouses must exercise good listening habits and respectful talking. Bad communication begins with one spouse dominating the conversation, just like the way Frances is trying to plan their whole day. But the listener can also ensure bad communication. While Frances is planning an agenda for their date, Michael positively lacks eye contact with his wife, and he has a disengaged body language while he watches “the hatless girl with the dark hair, cut dancer-style like a helmet, who was walking past him.” On the other hand, the couple in “A Couple of Hamburgers,” really nailed down the art of conversation by having a two-way dialogue with each other. Although, they do not have a very respectful way of talking, they still have a very open communication