The Short Story Series #3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

#3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw

A quaint and common marriage? Infidelity? It's not exactly what you're thinking...

I found it a bit difficult to wrap my head around "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." When I actually thought about it, though, I completely understood the point author Irwin Shaw was attempting to put across to the reader. Michael and Frances are your average, nearing mid-life crisis couple. I honestly cannot think of anyway else to put it. All their married life, Michael looked and gawked at every single woman he passed by, and, for some unbeknownst reason, Frances picked this perfect Sunday afternoon to talk to him about it. Of course, it made her uncomfortable. But Michael did the only thing he could - he was honest with her. Michael told Frances that he always wanted women, but he would never do anything about it because he loved her. I believe Shaw was attempting to put across the fact that marriages do begin to lose some of their ... spunk. Honesty is always the key. Even though he knew it would crush her, Michael had to tell Frances how he felt. Maybe their lives weren't perfect, but no one's is. Shaw succeeded in presenting the average American couple, their faults, and how they can triumph over the obstacles in their relationships.

Conflict is certainly at work throughout "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." First, there is a definite internal conflict in Michael. He cannot help the fact that he wants these women he sees. He knows that the right thing to do would be to love his wife fully and whole-heartedly, but he just cannot. He does not want to let her go despite all of this. Second, there is an explicit conflict between husband and wife. It seems that they realize there will always be a divide between the two of them, but love never left. It only shattered a bit.

My favorite character from "The Girls in their Summer Dresses" was Frances. She saw a problem with her life and refused to let it continue to rule her. She stood up for herself and confronted her husband, not holding back her true feelings. It takes a good amount of confidence and inner strength to speak your mind, and Frances exhibited these traits almost perfectly.