Paper #2

Infidelity

Have you ever wondered how often someone cheats on his or her significant other? If in fact this does happen to a couple, do you believe that their relationship is doomed to come to an end? Not all relationships are put to a conclusion just because someone’s spouse is disloyal. Most of the time the other half never finds out and the two continue to love each other. In the stories “The Storm,” by Kate Chopin, and “Interpreter of Maladies,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, and in Matthew Weiner’s television series, “Mad Men,” there is a theme of infidelity practiced by the main characters. However, these acts of infidelity do not terminate, or even damage, their respective relationship, instead the couples continue to remain together as if the act of infidelity never happened.

Calixta, from “The Storm,” cheats on her husband, while he is away from their home due to a storm, with a man she once knew, named Alcee, and feels revitalized and in high spirits after her unfaithfulness. When Calixta lays her eyes on Alcee, the two of them get a feeling of desire they seem to have lost while being with their spouse. As a result the two engage in making passionate love to each other and they feel invigorated. “Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” (Chopin 5). After Calixta and Alcee made love to each other, they were extremely happy. Even though they both have committed adultery and have to go back to their respective significant others, they are blissful. The relationship between Calixta and Alcee is purely a sexual relationship and has no feelings of actual love and that is why Calixta can continue to be with her husband. Calixta does not tell her husband about what she has done with Alcee and that is what ultimately keeps them together. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy” (Chopin 6). Eventually the storm is over and done with and she is happy with the life she will be living knowing what she has done with Alcee. The storm is a symbol for Calixta’s infidelity and without the storm occurring, she may have never felt the way she did with Alcee and would not have a positive attitude about her life with her husband.

Mrs. Das, from “Interpreter of Maladies,” cheats on her husband with one of his friends and keeps her secret of infidelity inside for eight years from Mr. Das, and as a result the two are still together. “He made love to her swiftly, in silence, with an expertise she had never known, without the meaningful expressions and smiles Rag always insisted on afterward” (Lahiri 64). Mrs. Das was getting bored with Mr. Das and was tired of living the same ordinary life with him, so when she had the opportunity to get together with one of his friends she jumped on the occasion. Mr. Das’ friend was just a change of scenery for Mrs. Das because she still wanted to be with Mr. Das. The relationship between Mrs. Das and Mr. Das’ friend was simply for sex. There were no true feelings of love so it was easy to move past this event and continue to be with Mr. Das. Since she has yet to tell Mr. Das of this occasion, he has yet to find out. She can continue to live with Mr. Das because she knows that that one night had little meaning to it and that she if happy living the life she is living with Mr. Das even though she is holding back this secret from him.

Don Draper, from “Mad Men,” continuously cheats on his wife with Midge Daniels, but his wife never finds out and the two successfully live in harmony. He loves his wife but he has a strong desire for sex with Midge. In the episode titled “5G,” Midge confesses her desires with Don when she is on the phone and says, “I want you to pull my hair, and ravish me, and leave me for dead” (Weiner). This line proves that there are no feelings of love in their relationship; instead the two are solely together for the excitement they get out of having sex with each other. Don Draper is able to continue his relationship with his wife because she is the woman whom he actually cares for and has true feelings of love. Throughout their marriage Don cheats on his wife, however the two live a happy life together regardless of this.

Some people may have a counter argument and say that a couple can never continue to live happily together if either one has committed an act of infidelity. However, in most cases, the cheating has no actual value and it cannot compare to the love the couple actually has. In these examples when a person cheats, they are doing it in order be happier in their real relationships. In actuality, the infidelity is what’s saving the relationship.

Calixta, Mrs. Das, and Don Draper are all guilty of being unfaithful toward their significant others. However, they all manage to continue to be in their primary relationship because their partner’s never actually find out what they are doing behind their backs. All of them can go home every night with this in their heads without having it negatively impact their relationship. In fact, their relationships with their significant others tend to prosper and flourish because of their infidelity.