Love and Marriage

The significance of the theme of love and marriage cannot be denied because it has inspired many authors to write about it down through the ages. Though love and marriage is a simple topic to deal with, it has become a complicated one with the involvement of culture, religion, society and time. One might think that love and marriage are two different themes, but they are not since they cannot be separated from each other.

Not every marriage based on love becomes successful. Some marriages fail due to the infidelity of one of the partners or not getting accepted by the bride or groom’s family. For this reason, some couples have to get apart. However, divorce was considered to be a social taboo and still, it is not taken positively. In most cases, girls are blamed for divorce though it is not entirely their fault. If we look at America, we can see that until the 1950s taking divorce was a rare incident in this country. Serious issues like divorce were brought to the forefront by celebrities and the media. Conjugal life without love becomes less desirable and is followed by divorce. In western countries, many people are showing a lack of interest in getting married, and couples in love simply begin living together without the sanctity of marriage.

According to many prodigious writers, love is the ultimate goal of the heart and marriage is the result of that love. Based on the subject of love and marriage, many great literary texts, including poetry, drama, prose, etc. were created. Even we can also see many great works of art and music were made on this theme. Love is what most people aspire to as a goal for their life. How they go about achieving that differs greatly in many cultures today.

In third world countries like Bangladesh, finding love and getting married is usually limited to a person’s region because most people never venture far from their birthplace. In some cases, the idea of love has been wiped out by ceremonies and rituals that go against the very nature of love. In other cultures and countries, love is taken out of the picture when it comes to marriage. The parents select suitable mates for their children and marriage takes place without the couples even having met before the ceremony. Suitability is measured by monetary value, education, employment, ability to cook and run a household, as well as affluence.

In developed countries like America, the perspective towards love and marriage has been changed over the time. Two souls falling in love with each other can stay under one roof without getting married. Marriage is often temporary. Love and marriage do not only happen between two opposite genders but also can happen to the same sex. Marriage between two different religions is a common incident nowadays. In the same way, the rate of divorce is increasing.

Authors of today write very differently on the subject than the great authors of yesteryear. While love used to be romanticized and held to a higher standard, authors of today equate love with a flippant notion that it is there to just reach out and grab, use, and throw away. This is perpetuated by social media, which opens a whole different door to the meaning of love and marriage. No longer is marriage the end result of love. No longer is it important to meet in person. Would the great authors be able to write in this day and age? I think they are currently turning over in their graves.