The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

by Irwin Shaw

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Discussion Topic

Significance of Michael's Final Observation of Frances in "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses"

Summary:

Michael's final observation of Frances in "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" highlights his superficial appreciation of her physical beauty rather than a deeper emotional connection. This moment underscores the central theme of the story, emphasizing the fragile and often superficial nature of relationships based on physical attraction alone.

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What is significant about Michael’s final observation of Frances?

To understand the ending's significance, it is important to note the results of their exchange. Throughout their conversation, Frances repeatedly expresses that she is bothered by Michael's wandering eye. Michael gradually admits to this behavior. Perhaps he is also admitting the full truth to himself as he admits it to Frances. As Frances questions Michael, she becomes more upset with his answers. She presses him to reveal more and her worst fears are realized. Michael's stance remains the same and so does his demeanor.

While at odds, both characters are coming to terms with the truth. However, knowing the truth does not change their circumstance. From start to finish, they remain unable to put themselves in each other's shoes. This makes the visual of regularly walking together down Fifth Avenue even more appropriate.

The lack of resolve is integral to the story and magnified through Michael's final observation. By the...

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end of their exchange, what hurts Frances is the idea of Michael wanting other women in a way that detracts from his love for her. When she gets up to make a call, Michael looks at her the same way he looks at the other women, noting her physical attributes.

She got up from the table and walked across the room toward the telephone. Michael watched her walk, thinking, what a pretty girl, what nice legs.

For Frances, his wandering eye is a personal offense. For Michael, it has never been about anything personal. In fact, it is the opposite. This ending, while unresolved, implies that Michael sees all women through the same lens, including Frances—that is, on a completely surface level. For better or worse, they remain unable to see eye to eye.

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What is the significance of Michael's final observation of Frances in "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses"?

Michael's final observation of Frances can mean two things; however, in order to explain those, we must first provide some context.

After Michael's confession that he does indeed look at other women because he finds them attractive and even admits to wanting them, Frances asks her husband to keep the lust or interest he may feel for those other women to himself. She takes her husband's behavior as a personal insult, because she feels like she's not enough for him.

Michael, on the other had, has no intentions whatsoever of hurting his wife. It's clear that he honestly and genuinely loves her, but he also wants to have the freedom to look at other women and appreciate their beauty and maybe even one day "make a move." It's almost as if his feelings are too powerful and he can't help himself. Frances agreeing to grant him this freedom by telling him that she doesn't want to know when he thinks about other women perhaps makes Michael feel even more love and appreciation for his wife.

When Frances gets up to call their friends the Stevensons on the phone, Michael thinks how pretty his wife is and how nice her legs are.

She got up from the table and walked across the room toward the telephone. Michael watched her walk, thinking, What a pretty girl, what nice legs.

This tells us that he either looks at all women the same way, including his wife—superficially, with want and lust and can't help but feel attracted to them—or that Frances finally makes him realize that he doesn't have to look at other women, because his wife is more than enough for him.

Thus, his final observation of Frances is significant, because it either indicates that he might finally try to change his ways for his wife and stop checking other women out and be forever faithful to her or that he can't change his behavior, because his emotions are simply too powerful and he cannot stop looking at women the way he does.

The story is open-ended for a reason—Shaw wants to showcase the problems that might arise when partners have different outlooks and perspectives on the world and when they don't communicate enough, as well as to indicate the flaws of human nature.

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