From a life of her own/ Emilie Carles

 Word Count: 403

Parker Greene

From a life of her own/ Emilie Carles

"But shortly afterward, things began to go wrong; my father wanted me to reconsider my choice: he explained that on thinking it over, he did not approve of the marriage. It bothered him that Jean Carles was a workingman with no property under the sun. In his eyes it was unthinkable for me to marry a man who didn't own anything, and he asked me to think it over too" (pg. 89).

The beginning of this writing really stood out to me, as this is something I have been through before. Asking the father for a woman's hand in marriage is typically seen as a traditional custom. It is seen as a requirement in some households. In modern times, this custom has seemingly become less common. This may be because in the past, women's rights were not considered important. The man was meant to ask the father to marry his daughter; if he said no, what was there to do? Being told that you cannot marry the woman you love must be an awful feeling. Marriage was denied for many men due to their background. A family did not want to send their daughter to live a life lesser than what she experienced growing up. I come from a single parent household- a single mother. We did not have lots of money growing up and it often made me think I would be stuck in this life forever. However, as I grew older, I realized that I wanted more. I did not want to live in the same town for my whole life. I wanted to go to college, get a good paying job, and travel the world. All of this seemed extremely far fetched, until I met the woman I wanted to marry. When I met her, it gave me the confidence to put myself out in the world. Here I am now, over three years later and engaged to the woman who helped me realize what I am capable of. When reading this story, it instantly reminded me of my situation. I understand the father's hesitation, but it is important to let your children grow up. Marriage to Jean Carles could be a whole new world for Emilie; they just have to take the step to find out. Given the authors name, it seems as though things worked out for them.