Say Yes
In the story "Say Yes" by Tobias Wolff, a couple's argument reveals a deeper question about their relationship. Why does Anne ask her husband a question, when she already knows the answer? She asks her husband, what she thought was an emotional question, hoping to trigger an emotional response. Instead, she received an answer with a more logical approach to the situation that may have lead her to realize her own insecurity about their relationship.The argument is the part of the story that reveals the question. Although the narrator claims that they just stumbled upon this subject, it appears that Anne wanted to put herself in such a situation. When the couple got on the topic of interracial marriages and the husband says, " with all things considered it's a bad idea," (p.74) he left himself wide open for such a question. The wife just had to use that to her advantage, which she did. They exchanged their arguments, and it is obvious that she is going to ask such a question, when she gets cut. He tries to end the argument when he says he will finish the dishes, but she says, "That's okay, I'll dry" (p.75). By not leaving the topic alone the reader knows she has more in mind then just discussing interracial marriages.What did Anne
77)After these thoughts go through his mind he gets a warm tingly feeling inside. This is the question that made the argument have significance. Relationships in general are complicated and always changing. While doing this he has a number of thoughts go through his head, He felt ashamed that he had let his wife get him intoa fight. The question on his part is, if he was as considerate a person would he not have spared her feelings by immediately answering yes when she asked him to marry her. Then as he lies there he hears a movement across the room, but saw nothing. This break through in their relationship will probably cause them to become closer to one another. He apologies to her, and says that he will make it up to her, but she wants to know "How?" This throws him off, not only because it was an unexpected response, but also her voice seems strange to him. The husband then went outside to take out the garbage. The husband is in the kitchen cleaning. She knew he did not approve of interracial marriages, so she used that to test the limits of his love. It is not like she was every going to turn black, and he would be faced with that decision.
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