Infidelity and Couples

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the novel, "Couples," by John Updike. Specifically, it presents an informative report on the novel, its author, and its reception by the critics. The couples in this novel fear death, and in an attempt to reduce and cover up their fears, they sleep with their married friends, forming a sort of "infidelity cult." The paper shows how "Couples" does not celebrate marriage; it bemoans it. It does not celebrate adultery and infidelity; it shows how they can ruin marriages and lives. This book is about a changing society and how religion has given way to sex and a sense of loss.

From the Paper:

"Freddy Thorne, the dentist in town is also the "thorn" in the side of many characters. He is abrasive and annoying, but he is also deceptively sharp and to the point. He says at one point, "The funny fact is, you don't get better, and nobody gives a cruddy crap in hell. You're born to get laid and die, and the sooner the better" (Updike 255). Freddy is the "devil" in the story the anti-hero who makes the other characters think and react, and can read them quite well. He is annoying because he is so critical, but because he is so astute, too. He understands more of what is going on around him more than just about any character, and so, he is the conscience of the book, something that many of the other characters totally lack."

More papers on Infidelity and Couples:

• Case Study # 70233 : "Infidelity Project"
• Analytical Essay # 72726 : "Infidelity Analysis"
• Research Paper # 91347 : "Divorce in American Society"

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