I have to say, this has been the hardest story for me to read so far. It is a really disheartening thing to constantly have infidelity portrayed in movies, books, television, magazine articles, etc. Is marriage overrated? Is commitment overrated? One thing that bothered me about this version in particular was that Anna did not really consider the feelings of her significant other. She talked about how he was aging, and how he was getting heavier, but never touched on how her spouse would react if he were to find out she had been sleeping with another man. I don't think she cared about his feelings as much as she did about getting caught. I'm not saying I hated the story because I really am starting to enjoy the work of Joyce Carol Oates and her effortless way of describing human emotion, especially fear; I just did not care for Anna one bit. I did not sympathize with her at all. Period. I mean... I'm sure she would have been a good woman... if there was someone there to shoot her every minute of her life, maybe.
But I really don't have any time for self-pity. If you're unhappy, then change something. If you're unsatisfied with your husband, than leave. Obviously in our society that seems to be the answer to everything. If something goes wrong, then bail. She was drowning in her own misery and was just looking for someone to blame. I hate that. Maybe the problem isn't your husband, maybe the problem is you. If this woman were to leave her husband for the man she was having an affair with, then it would have started all over again with another man, in another hotel room, with the same sickening feeling in the car ride home all over again. Seeking self-fulfillment in other people is just going to make you feel emptier than before, and it's a real damn shame some people never realize this.
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