, Research Paper
In everyone?s life
there comes a point in time when you assess your life, not
just look back in time, but see the progression, the triumphs
and the failures…..Eleanor Smith had reached this point. She
sees that things aren?t as they seem, the passion and desire is
gone from her marriage, she is unable to influence her
children?s life, her best friend, who is an alcoholic seems to
have her life in more order then Eleanor. How did her happy
life slip away before her eyes. The story evolves around
Eleanor, emotions and feelings. On the outside side she tries
to be the happy homemaker, and plans dinnners for the
prestge of her husband, Hugh. She tries to get in touch with
her rebelious teenage daughter, and play the friend figure,
but whatever she does nothing seems to make them as close
as they used to be, bot even buying her gifts seems to work
anymore. Her son, who is going through a rough time,
because he recently broke up eith his girlfriend, won?t allow
her to help him through his problem. Inside Eleanor is dying
from the lcak of love she recieves. Even what used to be a
young vibrant even beautiful face, has been washed out by
the stress she feels. The purpose of the story, is to inform the
reader that things aren?t all ways as it seem, and that change
is inevtitable. After a disatorous dinner party, Hugh?s best
friends wife, whom Eleanor was always quite envious of
because, she always seemed happy and she seemed have a
perfect marriage, but she soon realizes that like herself, she
feels lost in the shuffle of a over dominant husband. Another
lesson it tea
Eleanor feels the need to escape from her life, if just for a
while, on a visit to her mother, Eleanor?s mother even tries o
convince her that it would be insane to leave such a
comfortable life. Who would leave a handsome, well off
husband, three children that need a mother figure, and a
beautiful home. They Shouldn?t Make You Promise That
takes place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Smith?s live in
a fairly prominate community, making Eleanors situation even
worse, because she must contend with the fact of disgracing
her husband infront of the upity people she lives around, and
in a small community news of that caliber makes a good
topic for gossip. The subject matter deals with current
situations, it takes place during the 1980?s when woman are
becoming more liberated. The tension between Hugh and
Eleanor grows throughout the book She finally leaves Hugh
to visit her mother, but when she returns she stays at another
mans house. While on her trip she took her dog with her, she
decides to take her the dog back to her family?s house, she
also faces the decision of whether to return or do the brave
thing and start a new life. If she returns the choke chain while
get a little tighter, and there will always be another
psychiatrist to subscribe another pill for depression. If she
doesn?t return she leaves her comfortable prison, and she
would leave her kids, how could she bare to live without her
kids. This is where the book reaches it?s climax the whole
underlying meaning of the book depends on if she breaks
down and goes back or never looks back.