Country Lovers

More often than not it feels as if less attention is given to the darker, more realistic side of love. Time and time again, there are tragic ends to even the happiest, most fairytale of romances, breaking the hearts of the fictional characters involved just as much, if not more, than the readers suffering in the heartache right alongside. Throughout a constantly evolving society with ever-changing beliefs and morals, there always seems to be a new high and a new low for people in love. Tragedy strikes in a variety of ways, be it physical, emotional or mental. Sometimes, an evolutionary process beyond its time begins to take shape right before the eyes of the readers while still giving a glimpse into what life was like in an era long since gone. Yet no matter the timeframe, the one constant that rings true is that love will not always overcome all. It didn’t take reading past the title of “Country Lovers” to be instantly attracted to this short story. Just knowing it was a story of love and romance was enough of a draw to this literary piece. No matter how the story played out between these lovers, the feelings that would most certainly be evoked from such a powerful story raised curiosity to follow the tragic-turned-morbid love story of Paulus Eysendyck and Thebedi (Clugston, 2010, sec. 3.1.). Gordimer’s short romantic story plays to multiple aspects of the imagination. Was it possible when at a time racism was running rampant throughout the world for an interracial love to thrive in a society that back then would never be tolerant to such a seemingly outlandish idea? Even in the 21st century, further removed and evolved on racism than ever before, couples of varying races still face copious amounts of harsh criticisms and insults, sometimes even succumbing to society’s unofficial standards and expectations on love. In a 2005 Cosmopolitan article from Kyle Spencer, he details some starting revelations about the stigma and negative emotions geared toward all

References: Kirkey, S. (2009, Mar 04). Bad marriages more unhealthy for women than men. CanWest News, pp. n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/461147115?accountid=32521 Coping with loss of a spouse. (2001, USA Today, 130, 6-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214598248?accountid=32521 Portman, J. (2001, Jan 03). [ Interracial romances between adults are still a... ]. CanWest News, pp. 1-1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/460928345?accountid=32521 Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu Ungar, L., & Victor, F. (2004). What helps middle-aged widows with their psychological and social adaptation several years after their loss? Death Studies, 28(7), 621-642. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231355550?accountid=32521 Spencer, K. (2005, What 's interracial dating like today? Cosmopolitan, 239, 132-132,135. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199311050?accountid=32521