Analysis Of A Love Affair Essay Research

Analysis Of A Love Affair Essay, Research Paper Analysis of a Love Affair Marriage, for all it’s intent and purposes is a beautiful institution. A marriage between two people is a commitment that should be based on love, honesty, trust, and fidelity. But, what happens to a marriage if these basic fundamentals are flawed due to circumstance, can it still survive? Is there ever a good reason to deceive the person you love and are married to even if it’s for his or her own good? In marriage, people will lie for many reasons. People will lie to avoid arguments over minute issues; some may lie to prove a point. And, there are times when a person may lie in order to protect the person they love. In the tale “New Year’s Day”, you will find Lizzie Hazeldean, a woman who

lied for three reasons. Lizzie lied for the sake of love. Lizzie lied to protect her husband’s honor of caring and providing for his wife, and she lied due to the commitment she felt to Charles and their marriage on a whole. Lizzie Hazeldean loved her husband Charles very deeply. So deep that in order to protect and comfort him in his final days on earth due to heart damage; she must create a world based on deception. Lizzie must lie to everyone in order to fortify her clever tale. At home from the hotel fire she lies to her parlor maid Susan. When out socializing, she lies to a young and naive Hubert Wesson upon their meeting at a social event and of course, she lies to her husband Charles. These lies are told in attempts to shield Charles from the reality of the truth.

However, with every dishonest word that she utters Lizzie, in fact, is honoring Charles. Honoring his intention to care and provide for his wife. But, due to his damaged heart he can no longer honor his intended vow. Lizzie is quite aware of her husband’s fears. So in attempts to relax his fears and to comfort him in his final days, Lizzie continues the illusion of “high society” and economic independence. With the constant urging from Charles, Lizzie kept up appearances by continuing to make herself beautiful and appealing, accepting invitations to Mrs. Struther’s to hear performances by the latest tenor and in Charlie’s words “be amid all the youth, good looks and gaiety of New York”. So, Lizzie wears the elegant black velvet evening gown and further continues to

live her “socialite” status. Although, Lizzie would have preferred to stay away, she went to appease and honor Charles. Lizzie’s commitment to Charles is endless, for as she states on page 293, “He took me out of misery into blessedness”. “He put me up above them all, and he put me beside himself.” With this in mind, how can she fail him now? Lizzie goes to great lengths to eradicate any air of financial difficulty. When questioned by Charles as to how she keeps their home so lovely, especially her bedroom with its fresh pillows and satin coverlet, Lizzie lies and tells him the money comes from her rich Portuguese stepmother. Lizzie hides the fact from Charles that she is struggling to pay the household bills along with the expenses incurred due to his failing

health, at times, borrowing sums of money and even forgoing payment altogether. However, the burden does become too heavy for Lizzie to bear on her own. When faced with this reality, Lizzie devises a dishonest and deplorable plan. A plan, which on the surface appears to be self-serving, but upon closer evaluation one can realize that Lizzie, with her limited resources, has no other option than to risk everything and begin an affair with a man of independent means. Money means nothing to Lizzie; she’d rather have more time with Charles. But in her desperate situation, with no money and having no other means of financial support, she had to do something. With this knowledge at hand, Lizzie could not select any type of man to assist her in her circumstance. The man Lizzie would