Not every English marriage is as outwardly adorable as the one between the babealicious William and Kate. Throughout The Black Prince, we get an eyeful of marriages that are depressing and downright nasty—and we get an earful concerning the unsavory nature of our protagonist's former marriage, too. What gives? Why is the book so down on the fairy-tale notion of wedded bliss?
Questions About Marriage
- Does The Black Prince have any examples—any at all—of healthy, positive marriages?
- According to Bradley Pearson, what was the problem in his marriage to Christian? What does Christian herself have to say about Bradley's point of view?
- Throughout The Black Prince, Rachel Baffin is depicted as having at least three very different perspectives on her marriage to Arnold Baffin. According to Bradley Pearson, how does Rachel's view of her marriage change over time?
- Do Bradley Pearson's views on marriage change after he falls in love with Julian Baffin?
Chew on This
Throughout The Black Prince, Bradley Pearson suggests that outsiders can never be sure of the state of another person's marriage; however, he also tends to depict marriages between men and women as being plagued by pain and problems. On the whole, Bradley's narrative suggests that he doesn't really believe in the possibility of stable, healthy, and long-lasting marriages between men and women.
Since Bradley yearns for spiritual union with the "godhead" that he's always going on about, it's no wonder that he has a poor opinion of mundane marriages..