Roselily by Alice Walker:
Initially I felt bad for the gentle man the main character was marring because it seemed she was doing it to use him. I think what stood out to me was the point of view because she was thinking one thing while the guy was thinking completely differently. This story did not really make me think of one point in my life or part of my life. However, it did make me think collectively about why I do commit to things in my life.
Walker uses point of view and setting in "Roselily" to show how women should not get stuck with all the burden of commitment. Using setting by having the preacher give the christian wedding ceremony while the bride was thinking about her future life showed how she was committing for the wrong reasons. The brides point of view on what her future would hold was not really what she wanted but her past was full of prior commitments that did not work out. The bride stated that she just wanted out of the life she was living and was ironically not really committing with her heart to the marriage. Walker cutting in with what the man is thinking showed that his point of view is almost the same as the brides. They were both doing it because it was expected for them to play house. The bride only knew that he kissed her differently then the other men in her life. So she committed one more time for the wrong reason in one of the most holy of settings.
Do you feel it is important to marry solely for love or for love and what the other person can bring to the marriage?
