Research Paper on "John Updike Short Stories Twice"

/>"Wife Wooing is a very detailed picture of a couple who are experiencing unrevealed problems and living in a hazy world of ambiguity. In contrast, "My Father's Tears" not only vividly describes the situation of the couple but goes into deep detail to provide the reader with a full explanation of everything going on with the various characters. It also offers anecdotes about several characters expanding the detail and filling in the story. By the end of the story the characters in "My Father's Tears" become friends to the readers, who know a great deal about them, their lives and attitudes. But in "Wife Wooing," even after reading the story the couple still seem like strangers. It may be true that everyone has gotten an inside look at this couple's personal life, but the lack of intimate detail leaves the readers feeling that they do not know the couple. It is the lack of personal information about the couple that makes "Wife Wooing" much different from "My Father's Tears;" even though they contain similar relationship themes.

John Updike's "Wife Wooing" is a sad story of the emotional wall that exists between a married couple that is exemplified by the husband's desire for intimacy with his wife. However, even though little personal information is revealed about the couple, the end leaves the reader with hope that the couple can overcome their problems because down deep inside they really love each other. On the other hand is his story "My Father's Tears" which also describes the problems inside a marriage, but does so in a manner that allows the reader to make a personal connection with the characters. It is the vast personal information about the characters that gives the reader a chance to get to know them and feel as though they are friends or acquaintances. In short, "Wife Wooing" may best be described as a "black and white" snap-shot of a fictional marriage while "My Father's Tears" could be called a 3-D documentary.

References

John Updike Biography. National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved from http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/john-updike-biography

Updike, John. (2003). The Early Stories: 1953-1975. U.S.A.: Ballantine Books. Print.

Updike, John. (27 Feb. 2006). "My Father's Tears." The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02/27/060227fi_fiction READ MORE