Three Strikes

13 Pages 3274 Words

Strike Three

Countless couples currently embark into their married life with minute problems. Many of these couples have been given advice. This advice may have included, Life will get stressful, and it always does. Commit to making time to do pleasurable things together. Also remember that as they become used to one another, they may, both enjoy occasional time alone. This is normal. As time passes the problems seem to diminish since the couple is learning to communicate and cope through their differences together.
In the short story “The Other Two” the author Edith Wharton portrays a struggling newlywed couple, learning the communication and coping skills they need to make this relationship work. Alice Waythorn is adventuring into her third marriage. Both previous marriages were ended due to circumstances with her daughter Lily. Alice had been divorced for fairly some time when she married Mr. Waythorn.
For two extremely different reasons. The two ex husbands are brought back into the life of not only Alice Waythorn, but also the new husband Mr. Waythorn. Alice’s first husband Mr. Haskett has a great desire to spend time with his ill daughter Lily. At first Alice is very hesitant that Mr. Haskett is going to be around, but soon she realizes that seeing him is not as awful as she thought that it might have been. Alice’s second husband Mr. Varick is introduced when Mr. Waythorn is pressed into professional interaction with him. Mr. Waythorn is very uneasy about this situation also. Although Mr. Waythorn new his wife’s history, he had not fully measured the ongoing ties that would unite all of the live’s as one. Wharton uses the elements of irony and characterization to display the conflict with the two ex-husbands, and the newly married couple.
Wharton characterizes Alice as a round character. She is complex and has different sides to herself. She is portrayed as a woman, mother, wife and ex-wife. Wharton first c...