Student Question
Identify the author and story of this passage. Examine its crucial details and write a thesis statement on its importance in the story.
They were older when they married than most of their married friends; in their well-seasoned late twenties. Both had had a number of affairs, sweet rather than bitter; and when they fell in love—for they did fall in love—had known each other for some time. They joked that they had saved each other “for the real thing.” That they had waited so long (but not too long) for this real thing was to them a proof of their sensible discrimination. A good many of their friends had married young, and now (they felt) probably regretted lost opportunities; while others, still unmarried, seemed to them arid, self-doubting, and likely to make desperate or romantic marriages.
Quick answer:
The passage is from Doris Lessing's short story "To Room Nineteen." It highlights the marriage of Matthew and Susan Rawlings, emphasizing their sensible and practical approach to love, marked by "sensible discrimination." The passage establishes the couple as a unified and intelligent pair, suggesting a perfect relationship. A thesis statement could argue that this depiction of their marriage foreshadows the impending failure hinted in the opening line, questioning the durability of their union.
This passage is from the short story "To Room Nineteen" by Doris Lessing. It is important to note that this passage comes at the very beginning of the story. There is only one line before it:
This is a story, I suppose, about a failure in intelligence: The Rawlingses' marriage was grounded in intelligence.
Lessing has not yet given the first names of Matthew and Susan. All we know is that they are married and intelligent.
The passage focuses on their marriage. The only pronoun used is "they," not "he" or "she." Lessing is establishing the characters as a unified pair. They share a similar history, have the same opinions, and even use the same jokes. The passage is in third-person with a focus on this couple.
I think a striking aspect of the passage is that while it seems to be sweet and romantic when discussing this perfect relationship, the whole thing has a practical sense to it as well. Lessing uses repetition to clarify for us that they indeed "fell in love," which shows us that this is an important detail. While the characters are practical and sensible, they genuinely loved each other when they married. The phrase that stands out as showing their practicality over sentimentality is "their sensible discrimination."
This passage does not directly introduce a conflict, but when I read it I wonder if their relationship will stay as strong as it is. (A "failure" is brought up in the first line of the story, and after reading the whole story, we know the problems that arise that lead to the tragic ending, but in a passage analysis we can only look at the selected text). That being said, since the passage seems to present them as a perfect couple, it makes me wonder what (if any) their shortcomings are.
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