Love and Marriage in Gallants The Other Paris Essay -- Mavis Gallant

The Other ParisLove waxes timeless. It is passionate and forbidden and a true head rush. Marri geezerhood, on the other hand, is practical, safe, a ride up the socioeconomic ladder. In The Other Paris, Mavis Gallant weaves the tale of chirp and Howard, a fictional couple who stand on the verge of a grappleless marriage, to symbolize the misguided actions of the men and women in the reality of the 1950s, the apologues setting. By employing stereotypical, ignorant, and altogether uninteresting casings, Gallant highlights the distinction between reality and desire and through the mishaps and lack of passion in their courtship mockingly comments on society?s views of love and marriage. Gallant typecast both sing and Howard as ordinary young people, and like typical human beings, both have faults and beliefs that follow the accepted practices of society. As all women of a real point in life (if that certain point can be said as the age of ?twenty- dickens?), Carol frets inces santly everywhere her age, being ?under the illusion? that very soon she would be ?so old? that no man could possibly want her. Here, Gallant ridicules the standards of age and beauty expected by society from women like Carol, a thing common even in a more than open and judge world like today?s. Like her peers throughout time, Carol is pressured non only by her friends or parents but also herself to get a man while she able to attract someone much more suitable than that ?medical student with no money.? Her vanity and fear of closure up old and alone embodies societal views toward spinsters as women pining aside in some dingy corner. Likewise, Howard also has the same pride as men now. His sister?s caution and unwelcome prediction that he will soon be just ?a... ...and approval. In the end, readers are shy(p) whether to laugh or cry at the union of Carol and Howard, two people most undoubtedly not in love. Detailed character developments of the confused young adults c ombined with the brisk, businesslike tone used to come upon this disastrous marriage effectively highlight the gap between marrying for love and marrying for ?reason.? As a piece written in the 1950s, when women still belonged to their husbands? households and marriages remained staged for class and money?s sake, Gallant?s short story excerpt successfully utilizes fictional characters to point out a larger picture no human being ought to repress his or her have got desires for love in exchange for just an adequate home and a tolerable spouse. May everyone find their own wild passions instead of still settling for the security and banality of that ?Other Paris.?