Here We Are Marriage Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)

Quote #4

"We used to squabble a lot when we were going together and then engaged and everything, but I thought everything would be so different as soon as you were married. And now I feel so sort of strange and everything. I feel so sort of alone." (75)

All the wife's sources of security—her family and so on—have been stripped away, and now she has to face the totally new situation of living with her husband. This is probably the source of her feeling of loneliness—her vulnerability and exposure. If you don't really understand the person you're married to, it can feel like you're in the marriage alone (of course, they haven't been married for three hours, yet, so this is probably a premature reaction).

Quote #5

"Well, you see, sweetheart," he said, "we're not really married yet. I mean. I mean—well, things will be different afterwards. Oh, hell. I mean, we haven't been married very long." (76)

By "we're not really married yet" the husband means that they haven't consummated it yet—in case that wasn't clear. Also, we can't be sure if we believe his assurances that everything will be different afterwards—and neither can the wife, since this is the very thing that seems to be making her nervous.

Quote #6

"And we won't ever fight any more, will we?" he said.

"Oh, no," she said. "Not ever! I don't know what made me do like that. It all got so sort of funny, sort of like a nightmare, the way I got thinking of all those people getting married all the time; and so many of them, everything spoils on account of fighting and everything. I got all mixed up thinking about them. Oh, I don't want to be like them. But we won't be, will we?" (98-99)

The wife's question remains unanswered by the time the story ends. Will they be okay? The story has some ominous signs, but the years are the only thing that can reveal the real truth about their marriage.