Brief Analysis:
"The Resplendent Quetzal" a short story from Margaret Atwood's Dancing Girls, portrays a married couple, Sarah and Edward, whose marriage has become dysfunctional since their child's death at birth. The death of a child can put extreme pressures on a couple. If neither parent is able to get over such a tragic incident then the unresolved feelings and issues can lead to a relationship that is bound to fail. The first hint of trouble in this couple's marriage is when Sarah talks about her husband's many hobbies, or as she puts it, obsessions. You get the feeling that the wife resents the fact that her husband spends all of his time on his obsessions. "At first Edward's obsessions had fascinated her...but now they merely made her tired...She herself, she thought, had once been of his obsessions" (154). After one reads this you might believe that the wife merely wants her husband to pay more attention to her or spend more time with her, however there is a feeling that there is much more to this issue and that Sarah's resentment of her husband appears to run on a much deeper level. The death of their child has a deep emotional affect on Sarah, but the fact that Edward was not present when the b
The couple has to work through their emotions and feelings in order to keep the negative behavior from emerging. she hadn't yet deduced that it was simple rage. He states, " He was afraid to confront her, that would be the end, all the pretences would come crashing down and they would be left standing in the rubble. that he'd found out about her little trick with the birds three years ago. Why is that? Is it because there is some aspect of our lives that we cannot control and by controlling others we feel like we are in control? I believe this to be true and it can be seen in "The Resplendent Quetzal". In order for a couple to get through an event such as this, there has to be open communication of ones feelings and the couple has to be understanding and supportive of each other. Edward still unable to face the truth says, "The ordinary Sarah. For someone so devious she was often incredibly stupid" (156). Initially you feel sorry for the husband who is being manipulated by the wife, who also resents him for something that was not in his control.
Common topics in this essay:
Sarah Edward,
Resplendent Quetzal,
Sarah Maybe,
Dancing Girls,
death child,
sarah edward,
,
emotions feelings,
feel control,
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resplendent quetzal,
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lives control,
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Acceptance Essays
