In "Marrying Absurd," Joan Didion describes her feelings toward Las Vegas thorugh her description of "quickie" Las Vegas marriages. Even though she never says her feelings towards marriages directly, Didion conveys her feeling of contempt toward them through her descriptions and tone.
             She starts out by first describing the reason for the increase in Las Vegas marriages. Due to a Presidential Order that said that August 26, 1965 will be the last day in which a man can improve his draft status by getting married. In Las Vegas the requirements for marriage are minimal at best. All that is needed is for the bride to swear she is eighteen, the groom to be twenty- one or have parental permission, and five dollars for a license.
             Didion goes on to describe how Las Vegas marriages have taken away the special meaning a marriage and a wedding ritual has on a person. She first quotes the comments of a justice of the peace who got weddings down to five minutes a couple, turning an intimate moment into a task that should be done as soon as possible. She then describes the advertising that a person sees as they enter The Strip for Las Vegas marriages. Each offering "better [and] faster service," making
             a marriage as special as any other service a hotel gives. Didion then contrasts the
             traditional wedding, the is image of a large gathering of friends and family celebrating the joyous event as they witness the groom and the bride, in her beautiful dress, pledge their love for each other, with the her description of the pregnant bride who considered the Las Vegas wedding with a reception at a cocktail bar "... as nice as [she] hoped or dreamed."
             In her essay, Joan Didion contrasts the normal image of a wedding to that of a Vegas wedding. Through her descriptions, Didion shows her feelings which is that Las Vegas weddings are tacky much like the city itself.
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