Student Question
How should Frances respond to Michael's constant attention to other women?
Quick answer:
Frances should respond to Michael's constant attention to other women by actively confronting him rather than passively accepting his behavior. In "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses," Frances initially jokes about Michael's wandering gaze but soon realizes that his behavior deeply hurts her. By directly addressing the issue, Frances manages to gain some acknowledgment from Michael, who promises to be more considerate, although more significant changes are needed for their relationship to improve.
Although she is a bit too passive at the beginning of "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses", Francis actually figures out how to deal with Michael's wandering gaze by the end of the story. That is, rather than passively remark on Micheal's wayward eyes, Francis learns that she needs to actively confront her husband in order to see any change in his behavior.
At the start of the story, Francis laughs off Micheal's behavior and even jokes about it: "You'll break your neck," she jests. However, it soon becomes clear that under her facetious remark is a great deal of emotional turmoil. Francis is deeply hurt by her husband's conduct, both because of what he does and because he does not have the decency to hide it. Eventually, Francis realizes that flagrant behavior cannot be mitigated by passive remarks; only direct confrontation will create the dialogue that needs to be had.
Though it is not clear to what degree, it does seem that Francis manages to alter some of Micheal's behavior. Micheal promises to stop talking about other women in front of Francis, and at the end of the story, his eyes are glued to his wife. Of course, this is a small win, and it seems that Micheal's comportment will have to be altered much more radically for the two of them to be happy in their relationship.
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