The girls in their summer dresses essay

The story documents the conclusion and origin of a quarrel that they have while they stroll on a Sunday morning through lower Manhattan in November. “Michael held Frances' arm tightly as they walked downtown in the sunlight. They walked lightly, almost smiling, because they had slept late and had a good breakfast and it was Sunday (Shaw 1). ” Frances and Michael leave their apartment and go on towards Washington Square along the Fifth Avenue. As they stroll along the way, Frances notices that Michael turns around to stare at a beautiful girl. "Every damned place we go. Restaurants, subways, theaters, lectures, concerts (Shaw 4). " The author demonstrates the long-term and the day-to-day damage a man’s roaming eye can do to a dedicated and devoted marriage or romantic relationship.

In the maintenance of relationships, one has to not only communicate the feelings for his partner but also show in actions how they feel (Stafford 52). Michael is doing the exact reverse of the latter statement. This is evidenced when Michael told Frances that, “I love you, but I also want them. Okay (Shaw 9). " Michael goes further to tell Frances that sometimes he feels as if he wants to be free. This is a demonstration of many romantic relationships in real life where partners have become dishonest with each other. People quickly forget the vows that they take and the commitment they swear in marriage (Immorlica, Nicole and Mohammad 2). (Shaw 2). " Frances does not want to go to the country with their friends, the Stevensons.

The author, in this case, demonstrates the fragility of relationships that exist. According to Atwood (11,) relationships in the contemporary world in recent times have not been built on strong foundations hence the feeling of insecurity as depicted by Frances. Frances choice is spending the day in the city of New York with her husband, Michael, instead of visiting the country together with their friends, Stevensons because in her mind spending time with Michael alone would most likely deepen their love. The marriage between Michael and Frances showcases how insecurity can lead to disagreements between couples. However, it is good to establish that insecurities between couples do not arise by themselves but are as a result of habitual patterns observed by one partner towards another.

The reality is that real-life romantic relationships and marriages end up because of ignorance, stubbornness, insincerity towards self and one's partner and the inability of couples to admit being wrong. According to Cahill (2) and Goldstein (20), insincerity and ignorance in a marriage or a committed romantic relationship can drive a wedge between couples. In the short story “Girls in their Summer Dresses” there are several instances that demonstrate ignorance and insincerity especially on the part of Michael (Roggensack and Alan 178). God gave me eyes and I look at women and men and subway excavations and moving pictures and the little flowers of the field. I casually inspect the universe (Shaw 4). " The casualness and escapism in his response depict ignorance and this is one of the biggest causes of romantic relationship failure in the contemporary world.

According to Henthorne (3), ignorance is akin to partners not accepting the wrongs that they have committed and being stubborn about is when they are confronted. Therefore, ignorance and more so, stubbornness can drive a wedge between couples. According to Waite and Maggie (15), people that are married in most cases are healthier and happier. It is a fact that couples want to be happy in their marriages and the best way to do this is transforming for better and not for worse. Frances during the confrontation says "I don't want a fight. I don't know why I started this. All right, let's drop it. While strolling along Fifth Avenue on a Sunday morning, Frances confronts Michael as he is caught gazing at other girls.

He defends himself but later on admits that he likes looking at women and does not know if he will ever make a move for any other woman. The paper evaluated the short story in relation to real life and relationships. Man and women in romantic relationships and marriage tend to take for granted their partners hence making their relationships fragile and flawed. Michael represented the partners in a marriage that take their partners for granted as he keeps looking at other girls. Rev. Baxter, Leslie A. "A dialectical perspective on communication strategies in relationship development. Cahill, William F. "Fraud and Error in the Canon Law of Marriage. Read Books Ltd, 2013. Guerrero, Laura K. , and Peter A. Andersen. "Jealousy experience and expression in romantic relationships.