How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
"There was a time when I thought I loved my first wife more than life itself. But now I hate her guts, I do. How do you explain that? What happened to that love?" (56)
Okay, this raises one big question: did Mel actually love Marjorie? Can you grow to hate someone whom you once loved? Or was it never love in the first place? And how does one wind up in a loveless marriage?
Quote #5
Terri and I have been together five years, married for four. And the terrible thing is […] but the good thing too […] is that if something happened to one of us—excuse me for saying this—the other person, would grieve for a while, […] [and then] go out and love again, have someone else soon enough. (56)
He may not be a romantic, but you have to give Mel some props for his honesty. He fully admits that he could move on if he lost Terri. But here's the weird part: Mel's statement conflicts with his example of the elderly man who became depressed when he couldn't turn his head to see his wife in the hospital bed next to him. See, the elderly man could only love his wife, and he couldn't find someone else and be happy if his wife died. And Mel holds their story up as an example of true love. So if he and Terri don't have what this old couple has, does that mean that he doesn't truly love Terri? Or is he just being practical?