Greene, Graham. Collected Short Stories: Twenty-one Stories: a Sense of Reality: May We Borrow Your Husband? London: Penguin, 2000.
The author of this book is a notable writer who explores the ambivalent moral and political contentious issues in the current world. His collection of short stories and plays revolves around the contemporary issues of love, sexual desire and obsession. The author highlights the environment that we live while associating with the people we love or those we admire and lust after. Among his many stories, “Two gentlemen”, “The invincible Japanese Gentlemen”” and “Awful when you think of it” often have interrelating themes. The writer quotes the Japanese words she used to tests his wife’s attention, “I wonder what all those Japanese are dooming here?” The wife in her absent- minded state could not recognize Japanese presence. To this the writer is trying to portray misunderstanding among couples which results to separation. The author analyses the relationship between love and obsession which often result in mixed outcomes in most relationship.
This book will help in my research of understanding the reason behind misunderstanding among married couples. The tool of communication will form the basis of my analysis on the manner it is utilized to enhance healthy communication.
Quoting from one of his many stories, ‘I was only thinking that things might have been different,’ he said.
It was the biggest protest he had ever allowed himself to make against the condition of life.” The issue of regret arises in a relationship .It will assist in analyzing the impact of regret in any decision making among partners and how to retract from the mistakes.
Furthermore, relating The Story “May we borrow your husband” with the story on “Two gentle people” it will give a strong insight to understand the irony behind obsession of a person’s partner and the effect when marriage flops. The mental attitude when faced in a marriage dilemma will influence my research in finding the appropriate approach to marriage misfortunes.
Kaul, Sheetal. “Gamut of man-woman relationship in Graham Greene’s two gentle people.” Go articles (2009), 7 Nov. 2013.
This article highlights the mental attitude of a spouse who feels inadequate in his or her marriage. Greene highlights the psychological torture of two people, Henry Greaves and Marie Claire; at their middle-age whose marriages are devastating. Their predicaments result in bondage of sympathy to eliminate solitude. The author portrays the risk that waits both of them as their bondage gets stronger only for a while before they realize that their hearts are engaged elsewhere. Dissatisfaction in different scenarios brings two different people together. The author symbolically explains the route to prevalence of infidelity.
A sense of gentleness is revealed through Henry when he ponders about his action not to forge forward towards Marie. He ponders “What is cowardice in young is wisdom in old” .He feels that his wisdom has ashamed him before Marie. The writer describes the indifference experienced by spouses with suffering engagements whether to breach their vows or maintain their commitment hopeful that their shaking marriages will stand strong. In this article, Graham reveals of a rare scenario of people whose conscience is in tandem with their actions and the consequences there of.
This article will be very helpful in my research in analyzing the prevalence of infidelity in marriage. Studies have revealed that Hiv/Aids is prevalent. Among married partners .One of the main reasons as portrayed in Grahams Story is consolation through friends. Marriage partners choose to their marriage predicaments through friends in secluded venues where sympathy mood dominates the talk leading to unplanned intimacy. To fully understand this problem, I will delve into details of why partners prefer to exhale their sufferings to friends rather than relatives who pose amore concerning environment and less risky.
Leah, Gordon. “A Study in Greene: Graham Greene and the Art of the Novel. By Bernard Bergonzi.” Heythrop Journal – a Quarterly Review of Philosophy and Theology (2010)
The article evaluates the consistent themes of love, obsession and lust involved in marriage .The writer highlights the threats associated with any marriage. For instance In his story, “May we borrow your husband” Graham portrays that lust for the married people is rampant .Marriage partners betray each other because of lust I the other story “Two gentle people, The author introduces a rare group of people who exercise self –control against their body desires. He describes of bondage between partners who unite from different circumstances but allow their sanity to overcome their body desires. This is different from other real life experiences where couples seek sympathy from their friends and admirers resulting in infidelity.
This article will be very important in my research of correlating love, lust and obsession among married couples and the engaged ones. This trend has rapidly increased leading to prevalence of sexual infectious diseases and Hiv/Aids among married couples. Obsession is the basis of infidelity among couples. They practice without their partners’ knowledge and infect their partners. Love has been used as a shield to infidelity in the current society.
Works cited
Greene, Graham. Collected Short Stories: Twenty-one Stories: a Sense of Reality: May We Borrow Your Husband? London: Penguin, 2000.
Kaul, Sheetal. “Gamut of man-woman relationship in Graham Greene’s two gentle people.” Go articles (2009), 7 Nov. 2013.
Leah, Gordon. “A Study in Greene: Graham Greene and the Art of the Novel. By Bernard Bergonzi.” Heythrop Journal-a Quarterly Review of Philosophy and Theology (2010)