Candide Overall Thoughts

Overall I found Candide an enjoyable story. Voltaire's writing style makes it slightly confusing, but once you adjust to that the story is rather simple. The thirty chapters of the book fly by, but seem as if each one could stand alone as it's own story. Voltaire uses this piece, and the many short chapters to satirize different items. In each chapter he seems to attach his loathing satire to one or more pieces of society, and make fun of them to the point where he has gone too far. In chapter 26, Candide somehow has dinner with six different exiled kings. He thinks that their lives are terrible, saying "Who in your opinion is more to be pitied, the Emperor Achmet, the Emperor Ivan, King Charles Edward, or myself? (p. 67)." While all of these men have been sent away as kings, they all still live luxurious lives. The fact that Candide would think that their lives are just terrible is laughable, seeing that they were once kings. Candide seems to never take into account others who have had things worse than himself, and spends the story obsessed with himself and his own hardships. Voltaire uses the character of Candide excellently as a mode of his satire

Candide Ending

I found the ending to Voltaire's Candide rather unfulfilling. After all of the things that Candide has gone through, the terrible events he is left with a simple garden and some people who he is not truly friends with. His one true love has turned horribly ugly, and he has nothing left to do but wallow in his sadness. That is what happens in the physical sense. In a more figurative view though, at the end Candide repeats "We must cultivate our garden. (75)" This shows how Candide has decided that he must forge his own way in life. He must make life the best as he can. This is far from where Candide began simply believing any thing he had heard. In the literal sense I found the ending of Candide terrible. In the figurative sense it made sense though. Candide finally reaches an achievement that he couldn't get to throughout the rest of the story. Thinking for himself. He finally becomes self sufficient and realizes that he knows what is best. It seems that his many experiences have actually helped him, rather than simply sliding off of him as they did in the past.

Candide Meaning

I believe the meaning in  Voltaire's Candide lies directly with what the reader is left with for first and last impressions. At both of these points in the story, the reader is given philosophical theories. The first is said to be true at the beginning and progressively shown to not be true. The world is not the greatest of all worlds, because it is what you make it. I believe that is the primary message Voltaire is trying to show us. Just as Candide cultivates his farm, we must cultivate our own lives. Rather than allowing ourselves to believe that everything will come with time, we must go out and reach for what we want. We have to be active in our goals and achievements in life, and put an effort across. We must take our lives in our own hands and use the world around us to achieve what we want. Voltaire writes "This new adventure caused them to philosophize more than ever. (73)." This shows that rather than living life, the men are discussing philosophy. This book shows that Philosophy in life is nothing when life itself is not being lived.

Candide's Growth as a Character

Throughout the story of Candide, by Voltaire, Candide seems to never really evolve. Through out a vast majority of the book, he feebly agrees with his former teacher's philosophical teachings. He is put through so many awful things, yet he remains optimistic. He continues to believe that everything will come out in the end. It is comical how Candide fails to evolve throughout the story. What is odd however, is that at the time where most things in his life seem to fall in place, he believes in the optimistic theory the least. After his teacher has somehow arisen from the dead he says "Now that you have been hanged, dissected, beaten to a pulp, and sentenced to the galleys, do you still think everything is the best in this world? (70)." This shows that doubt has finally crept into Candide's mind. He has never before shown a true likelihood to not believe in the fact that everything will turn out for the best. While Candide's growth takes a very long time with a long and drawn out process, he does finally make a transformation. That is what it must be called, because he seemingly randomly decides that he does not agree with Pangloss any more, and that he has now matured into his own man.

Pity in Candide

In Candide by Voltaire, pity is an aspect that is quite often addressed. As Candide goes through his terrible events, he becomes to have pity for himself. He gets down, and believes that his life is the worst. When he meets Cunegonde again, she goes into her own pity. Her story is just a form of her saying that her situation is less than his. Throughout the story, there seem to be characters trying to say that their life is worse than one another. They all experience bad situations, but the need to one up some one over it just seems ludicrous. Over and over again, we meet characters whose stories become more and more pitiful. The old woman says "Miss, replied the old woman, you do not know my birth; and were I to show you my backside, you would not talk in that manner, but would suspend your judgement." (23). After Undergone finishes telling her horrific story, we are led straight into another terrible story.I seem to find myself thinking this book should be called "A serious of Unfortunate Events" rather than "Candide."

Problems with Philosophy Candide Part II

One of the things Voltaire stresses in his book Candide, is the importance of noting how real world occurances are more important than abstract philosophical musings. Candide is constantly trying to reason what is happening to him through philosophy. Rather than becoming a hardened soul, he remains soft and gullible. He doesn't discover common sense through out the section, which is ridiculous. Candide simply falls into traps set for him by the author. Because Candide doesn't actually understand how the world works, he simply does what other people tell him. I found it absurd how Candide never realizes that the world is a dangerous place, he consistently echoes back to the philosophy established in section one "All is necessarily for the best end (1)."

Problem of Optimism Candide Part 2

One of the things Voltaire focuses on in Candide is the problem of idealism. Voltaire continues to show the problems with Pangloss's theories that were given in the first section. Candide says "The sea of this new world is already better than our European sea; it is calmer, the winds more regular. It is certainly the New World which is the best of all worlds. (23)." This illustrates Candide's unending optimism. Despite all of the pitfalls that have occurred on his journey, he still believes life will work out. This is illustrated not to be true the many misfortunes that come upon poor Candide. After being beaten and robbed, driven to murder, we can see Candide's story will only become more grim. Candide believes in his tutors theories to the furthest extent, and Voltaire does his best to illustrate the holes in the story. While not directly stating it, he illustrates through his story telling how there are more than a few holes in Pangloss's philosophy.

Candide Satire Section 2

The primary purpose of Candide is to serve as satire. Candide satires numerous things throughout his entire novel. This is prevalent in the first section, and likewise is prevalent in the second. One thing he satires in this section is religious hypocrisy. Through the way he describes the events as unfolding he shows what is wrong with the world. In Candide, a Jew and Catholic Inquisitor share Candide's love Cunegonde, who was bought as if she was an object. Both of these men are high up religious men, but neither seems to object to slavery. When Candide kills the Jew and the Inquisitor, Voltaire writes "My lord the inquisitor was interred in a handsome church, and the Issachar's body was thrown upon a dunghill. (21)" This shows how the religious people cared only for their own kind, and not others. While this is not to say that all religious men are hypocrites, Voltaire uses generalisms to better illustrate his hypocrisy and the ridiculousness of his satire.

I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed

In Emily Dickinson's I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed, Dickinson describes what she enjoys in life. She writes "Inebriate of Air--Am I--And Debaucheree of Dew," showing that she gets drunk off of life. She doesn't find the need to drink alcohol, when she has life to live. She gets her fun out of simply living life. She doesn't find it necessary to get inebriated off of alcohol. This poem serves as a metaphor to being drunk. She considers the enjoyment she gets our of nature to the feelings one gets from drinking. This poem speaks well to nature, and how the effects it can have on people. For the speaker, it gives her a drunkenness and gleefulness matched by alcohol. She enjoys nature so much that she considers it superior to the finest brew.

Convergence of the Twain

"Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy uses the imagery of the titanic to describe vanity. The poem is saying that vanity is fleeting. It is not as important as what is put on it. Hardy writes "Over the mirrors meant to glass the opulent The sea-worm crawls--grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent." This shows that while in the short time, it may sometimes seem as if vanity is very important, in the end it will not matter at all. All the time and effort that was put into making the titanic look beautiful didn't end up mattering at all once it hit an iceberg. The poem also talks about fate. It says that it was the ship's fate to hit the iceberg. Hardy shows how vanity leaves so very quickly. It may seem as if it will last forever, but when, in the end, life is over, no one will care about what you look like. When your bones are decaying in the ground, suddenly no one will care what color suit you're wearing inside the casket.

Dove Beach

In Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach, a strong message of fear and love is delivered through poetic wording. Arnold writes "The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear it's melancholy, long withdrawing roar." This shows that the author believes that faith is waning. The world is becoming a worse place for whatever reason and he must turn away. The speaker says to his unidentified companion that they must turn to each other in this tough time. They must turn to the love they hold in each other's hearts. The speaker believes the only constant in the world is that of the love he has for his companion. The author uses setting as a primary vehicle to explain this,  using the imagery of a body of water at low tide to show how the world's becoming less faithful. He describes what Sophocles' called "The turbid ebb and flow of human misery." The author's use of imagery helps to illustrate to the audience what is happening in the world and why he must turn to his lover.

Sorting Laundry

Sorting Laundry, by Elisavietta Ritchie uses an extended metaphor to explain a relationship. The speaker, we know is a woman, due to her saying "If I were to fold only my own clothes, the convexes of my blouses, panties, stockings, bras, turned upon themselves." She talks about her relationship, through sheets, pillow cases, towels and more seemingly arbitrary laundry items. She uses them to describe how her relationship is going. She seems to convey that her relationship is going pretty well. She says"Pillowcases, despite so many washings  still holding our dreams", which shows how her relationship still has hopes and dreams that can be fulfilled. They haven't broken the seams, and their love is still alive. The poem does a good job explaining itself though the metaphor of laundry items. One of the best examples is "So many shirts and skirts and pants recycling week after week, head over heels recapitulating themselves." This shows how the clothing rotates in the washer on the surface, but on a deeper level is shows how the two in the couple keep falling in love with each other. At the end of the poem, a shift comes asking what if her lover were to leave. She seems to be simply thinking of the worse due to the quality of their relationship.

My mistress' eyes

My Mistress' Eyes by William Shakespeare, describes Shakespeare's girlfriend. The poem seems negative at first. He states "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" meaning that her eyes while beautiful do not have that immense level of beauty. The poem shows that Shakespeare is very grounded. He understands that no woman is perfect and doesn't expect as much. He knows that all the cliched phrases he uses are impossible, and as such relates that his girlfriend does not meet them. I thought this poem was the opposite of  Barbie Doll. Rather than seeing her as less than perfect as bad, Shakespeare understands that this is how all women are and treats them as such. He treats them as real people, because that's all they are, people. They are not Goddesses, but rather human beings. It is refreshing that Shakespeare understands this and doesn't try use his usual gushy poetry describing the immense beauty of a woman.

Barbie Doll Q1

In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll, the difference between real life and ideals is shown well. A girl is seen to her peers as simply "a fat nose on thick legs." The girl was in fact smart healthy and athleticism. Because she was not the ideal, she was received poorly by her fellow students. Their image of the perfect woman was a barbie doll. While this girl was not as thin or as beautiful as a Barbie, she had attributes those do not. She was a real person with real feelings that was disregarded. The people saw her as less than herself. Because of this horrific treatment she felt there was no other option than to kill herself. There is immense irony, that once she has killed herself because of the lack of beauty she feels for herself she is finally seen as beautiful. This poem is a sad tale of a girl who lacks confidence and ends her life prematurely because of the criticisms of others.

A Jury of Her Peers Q.3

In Susan Glaspell's A Jury of her Peers, the search is on for a murderer. It is already certain who the murderer is, however, and the protagonists must find evidence in order to show the motive of the murder. The story involves the sheriff and one of his friends along with their respective wives. The men in the story assume the women will be useless and tell them to leave it alone. The men's view on women is obvious in their criticisms of Mrs. Wright. Glaspell writes "Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (412). This shows that they expect women to simply do the housework and little else. This is ironic because the women are the ones who end up finding the clue. They find the dead bird that has been killed in a similar fashion to the husband. They are the ones who end up breaking the case. This story goes to show that generalizations are often not true. The people who are supposedly least likely to find the clue are the ones who use their own detective skills.

Hunters in the Snow Q. 7

In Tobias Wolff's Hunters in the Snow, we are shown three dysfunctional "friends" who go on a hunting trip together. All of the men are jerks to each other, but Frank and Kenny are especially mean towards Tub. After Kenny shoots a dog, Tub thinks he will shoot him, so Tub ends up wounding Kenny in the stomach. The guys begin to act like sane people, but on the way to the hospital that breaks down continually. Rather than driving as fast as they can to the hospital, Frank and Tub take multiple stops. The two move farther and farther away from humanity, and more towards animalistic properties. The compassion goes from little to none for Kenny as he is left to bleed to death in the back of a pick up truck. While looking up the last line, I found out it had great significance. "They had taken a different turn a long way back" (p.201) does not refer to driving directions as it seems on the surface, but rather towards a mental turn the guys made. They decided to allow Kenny to freeze and bleed out in the truck. They turn away from their human emotions, blackening their souls  by allowing their so called friend to die.

Othello overall opinion

Overall, I thought Shakespeare's Othello was a well written story. Shakespeare's writing is while difficult to read entertaining and creative. Shakespeare is able to describe his character's eloquently through his syntax and diction. One thing I liked was to see how Shakespeare developed multidimensional and dynamic characters.  Iago comes to mind first as multidimensional with seemingly multiple personalities he is able to manipulate every one he comes into contact with. He seems to have a separate face for every person he lies to. Othello is an obvious choice for the dynamic character with his transformation from calm gentleman to furious murderer. However, I would choose Emilia as the best dynamic character. She goes from following all of Iago's orders to being the one that unravels his master plan. She says "Villainy hath made mocks with love" to Othello, revealing Iago's true nature. She brings about the plot shift by showing what has actually been happening. Shakespeare tells a great story by developing his characters and their actions, and bringing the reader's emotions into the story.

Othello Thoughts on Ending

I thought the ending of Othello was fitting. Shakespeare has both good and bad triumph in the story. He balances the two forces well. While many of the good characters are left dead, Iago's evil plan has been discovered. I especially liked how Emilia finally stood up to her dastardly husband. She says "I will not charm my tongue, I am bound to speak" to Iago, after revealing the truth. She suffers the consequences of these actions, however, in getting stabbed by her husband. One thing I didn't like was the convenient letters Roderigo had on his person. It seemed to me as if Shakespeare could have come up with a better unraveling than that. It seemed as if Shakespeare spent all his time writing this brilliant play, then at the end was just tired of writing and took the easy way out. All and all however, the ending was pleasing due primarily to the fact that Iago has been captured. His evilness has been shown to the world, and he will not have another victim.

Othello Act V

In act V of Shakespeare's Othello, Iago is finally discovered. This doesn't happen until significant blood has been shed. Through the course of the act, due to Iago's villainy Roderigo, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello all die. Cassio gets a potentially crippling injury from Iago's blade, and Othello stabs Iago, but not fatally. Also, indirectly due to Iago Brabantio dies due to grief of his daughter's wedding which Iago revealed to him. I found Othello's reason for killing Desdemona dumb. He says "She must die, else she'll betray other men." He decides he has to kill Desdemona so she doesn't cheat on other men, even though she still hasn't admitted the affair, which never happened. Also, his wife is faithful to the end. I found it particularly interesting when Desdemona doesn't give up Othello for murdering her. With her last breath she clears Othello from her murder. While this was fairly close to the outcome I was expecting, I was hoping Iago could die in some sort of a particularly painful manner. He remains alive, but hopefully not for long.

Othello Act IV

In Act IV of Shakespeare's Othello, it seems as if Iago's plan is going to come to fruition. Iago is able to concretely convince Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him. Also, Othello's anger finally boils all the way over and he punches Desdemona. Othello is told that he will be leaving Cyprus for Venice, which makes him even more angry. This leads Othello to his decision to kill Desdemona. He says "Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again—This night, Iago!"  Iago then conveniently tells him that he should strangle her instead. This made me kind of angry. Iago isn't happy enough with seeing Othello kill his faithful wife. He must see Othello kill his wife with his own hands. Iago has become worse than a villain now, he has become a devil. In all his actions evil is seen. He has no purpose other than to hurt those around him.

The Role of Race in Othello

In Othello, race seems to be a touchy topic. There are many instances where Othello is treated poorly by many people due to his race. From the beginning, he is referred to as a "Barbary horse" by Roderigo. This implies that Othello is less than human, with Roderigo going as far as to call the children Roderigo will have as horses. Throughout the story, Othello is often referred to as "The Moore" rather than as his name. This shows that they see him as the odd man out simply due to his race. I wonder if Iago's hate towards Othello isn't at least partially due to racism. Even Othello's wife seems to have some odd views, saying "I think the sun where he was born drew all such humors out of him" (III. iii. 21-22). She seems to think because he grew up in Africa he has received his personality. I find it interesting that Othello is the great general in this story while every one else seems to hate him. He is the greatest of them all, yet is treated as the least.

Act III

Shakespeare communicates the meaning of love in Act III of his work Othello. I found this act provides intricate details into love, and the varying emotions love can bring. Othello is stuck between the love and hatred for his wife. Iago's villainy is full blown, planting seeds of doubt in Othello's mind. Iago has given suspicions to Othello. At the end, Iago is planning to murder Casio. This act shows a vast contrast to the love he has for his wife at the beginning of the play. At the beginning, Othello has complete trust in his wife, even going as far as to put his life in her hands. Now, he has put all his trust in Iago's hands. I am amazed at the master manipulator Iago seems to be. Iago seems to make his will action, simply through his persuasive speech. Due to Iago's inflicted doubt, rather than wanting to spend time with his wife, like Othello had earlier in the play he now wants Desdemona "To leave me [Othello] but a little to myself." He wants to be away from the one he used to love so much.

Act II

In Act II of William Shakespeare's Othello, the reader gets to see Iago put his sinister plan into effect. Iago begins to set up his dominoes that he will then knock down. Iago shows that he plans to get Casio drunk so he will make a fool of himself and be quick to anger. This works swimmingly, as Casio falls into Iago's puzzle, stabbing Montano for calling him drunk. In this part of the play, the audience is beginning to see the serpentine qualities of Iago. I can now see why some may consider him the greatest villain of all time. Shakespeare's writing makes Iago seem even worse a villain. The poet's syntax and diction contribute deeply to the meaning. After Iago gets Cassio to drink, and Cassio becomes angry, Cassio says to Montano "A knave teach me my duty? I'll beat the knave into a twiggen bottle." (II.iii.109-110) Shakespeare's wordage makes the play more entertaining due to the phrases used during the period.

Othello Act I Questions 1 and 9

In William Shakespeare's Othello, Act I serves primarily as a primer for the play. It gives background information, and shows the conflicts that will come up. The main conflict is Iago's hatred for Othello. In front of his general he acts as if he is the most loyal soldier, but behind his back he is the most devious person one could imagine. Iago has actual complaints along with unproven suspicions that make him hate Othello. Iago was passed up for the promotion of lieutenant given instead to Casio. Iago hates this, and is enraged by Othello's actions. Also, Iago believes that Othello has been sleeping with his wife. Iago says that it is "Thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets he's [Othello] done my office." Iago uses veiled words in order to reveal to the audience his suspicions. Shakespeare often uses clever phrasing in order to show a serious subject in a less obtuse way.

Getting Out

I preferred Cleopatra Mathis's Getting Out poem to the others, because it was easier to read. While it may seem easy, it actually contains deep messages. What I liked about this poem is the imagery used to explain the relationship. The speaker shows how the relationship worked, and what lead to the downfall. The author is able to speak eloquently in simple language. She doesn't need to use a rhyme scheme or write in iambic pentameter in order to put her message across, she can write like a normal human being. I find this a greater skill than to compress words into a rigid structure, for it allows the true nature of the poem to come across. I found the image of the couple that loves each other, but can't find the love to stay together a very interesting notion. Mathis writes " Yet I think of the lawyer's bewilderment when we cried, the last day. Taking hands we walked apart, until our arms stretched between us. We held on tight, and let go." This shows how even though the couple couldn't stay together, they still had love for each other. I found this poem to be striking for its deep meaning with simple words.

Popular Mechanics

I found popular mechanics a very odd story. One thought that was brought to my attention by the substitute teacher on Friday is that the story may be an allusion to the book of Solomon. In the book of Solomon, two woman claim a child to be there's, disputing it in front of king Solomon. When neither will deny that they are the mother, the king says he will split the child in half so they can each have a part. The woman that starts freaking out is obviously the mother and a much better suited mother. In Popular mechanics, two parents fight over a child, when the father is leaving. Neither will give up, so in a fight for the child, they each grab one of the child's arms. They pull and pull to get custody, until the author writes "He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided." The author implies the child had it's arms pulled off, likely dying. This shows that while in Solomon there was one quality parent, in this story, there are two terrible parents.

The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour exemplifies the literary terms of institutional irony and foreshadowing. The reader is told that the protagonist Mrs. Mallard's husband has just died in an accident and that her sister is trying to tell her carefully because she has heart problems. For a time, Mrs. Mallard is seen mourning, when a sudden shift comes. The lock of the door is heard unlatching with a key. It is Mr. Mallard, he is alive!  When Mrs. Mallard sees him at the front door, she is so overcome with joy that she faints, or rather dies of a heart attack. The reader has no idea Mr. Mallard is still alive, and it is surprises the reader. The sudden shift brings about a surprise the reader does not see coming. Also, the author gives the reader a sampling of the surprise ending by mentioning the heart problems of Mrs. Mallard. I found the story very surprising and entertaining due to the ending, when the doctor says " she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills."

You're Ugly Too

Lorrie Moore's You're Ugly Too portrays a bitterly sarcastic woman. Zoe Hendricks lives a boring life as a school teacher. From what the reader sees, it seems as if Zoe hates her life, and the people in it. Lorrie Moore does a good job using characterization in order to show Zoe's personality. Lorrie gives multiple anecdotes that display Zoe's cynical ways. She seems to be unable to take things seriously, choosing instead to make a joke out of things. She is also immature in her comments to her students and to her peers. Moore portrays Zoe as a depressed woman who is angry at the woman. The story is entertaining due to the little stories told to the side of the main plot. These include her being asked "What is your perfume" by a student, and replying "room freshener." This displays just one of the frequent sarcastic quips that she uses and that move the story forward. Overall, Lorie Moore's short story was entertaining primarily due to the character's scathing remarks.

Evaline Opionion

In James Joyce's Evaline the theme of escape is key. Evaline has two choices, to stay with her father, or leave with her boyfriend, Frank. Evaline's father doesn't treat her particularly well, and she gives up all of herself to her father and her family. Frank on the other hand treats her well, and loves her. When Evaline is forced to choose once and for all between Frank or her father, she is paralyzed.  She cannot choose what she will do with her life. I believe the right choice would have been to go live with Frank. Her life would have been much happier. She would not end up in madness like her mother, instead living her life with a man who loved her. Because of Evaline's inability to make a decision, she has forced herself into a life of working for her father receiving no praise. She will certainly live a less than joyful life. Evaline will be forced to live in a house where she will "Feel herself in the danger of her father's violence." (Joyce, 219).

Delight in Disorder Robert Herrick Question 2

In Robert Herrick's Delight in Disorder, the poem utilizes many oxymora.  The first used is "sweet disorder" (Herrick). This goes along with the title that disorder can be good. Next comes "Fine distraction," which again goes along with the title. The last oxymoron is "wild civility" which goes along with the theme of disorder. The oxymora help to progress the poem in it's central meaning. The author finds pleasure in the disorganized. He does not like the perfectly organized people. He prefers disorganization to neatness. The oxymora express the author's opinion on disorder.

Lonely Hearts Question 1

In the poem Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope, five personal advertisements are placed in the form of a poem.   Each personal advertisement asks for a lover for a different person, saying "Can someone make my simple wish come true?"(P. 973). The first ad is for a biker seeking someone to tour with him. The second ad is a gay vegetarian who wants someone to listen to music and read Shakespeare with him. The third regards an executive searching a bisexual woman. The fourth brings a straight laced gentleman searching for an attractive Jewish lady with a son. The final is about a librarian searching for a slim non smoker under 21. All of the ads seem rather stereotypical, asking for what one would expect the groups would want. The needs the people in the ads range from what one would expect to rather out of place. The poem tells an odd story of 5 people looking for love.

How I Met My Husband Question 5

In How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro, the story of a young girl named Edie is told. Edie is infatuated with a war pilot named Chris, even thinking she might marry him one day. Overall, Chris Watters would not make a very good husband for Edie. Chris is not ready for marriage which is evident through out the story. First off, the fact that Chris is fooling around with a 15 year old seems alarming. Who's to say that Chris would not make off with another 15 year old after he and Edie got married. Chris is constantly on the move, and does not have time for a marriage. The only marriage like relationship he has which is with his supposed fiance who has to chase him down in order to get in touch with him. Chris even comes out explicitly stating he does not want to get married. When Edie asks him "Are you getting married?" he replies "Ha. ha. What time did you say they'd be back?" (Munro 142). This shows that Chris has not intention and does not plan on getting married. While Edie who is infatuated may have thought he would be a good husband, she now realizes he would not make a great husband.