Now that I'm older, I think Jack and Jill is a metaphor for relationships. They both went up the hill together after the water, and it was an uphill climb. Jack is the one who falls first, which is the stereotype that guys terminate the relationship through poor choices or commitment phobia. He breaks his crown which implies a loss of focus, a loss of concentration, and a lost train of thought. Jill "comes" after, which implies that as the relationship falls apart both people fall a bit. There is a loss of trust, of comfort, and of identity. In the end, many people never taste the refreshing waters.
As I look at a lot of relationships around me, I find that they are codependent at best. Even worse, there seems to be a rising conglomerate of people who prey upon one another. There are people who want sexual gratification, monetary advancement, or prestige of family status. A few months ago, a Facebook friend posted "First time you marry for love. Second time you marry for looks and money" and people opined that they could not skip to marriage #2! A few weeks ago, I wrote of a Craigslist story where both of the people played against each other for their own advancement. It calls to memory one of my favorite comedy skits on Jack and Jill:
The POE version is the best...it actually depicts an attack!
Not everyone is like that. Not everyone starts out like that. The problem starts when the romance period ends and two lovers settle down to the rigmarole of making a life together. I know I write about this way too much. I'm single.
Everything worth having takes work, and even the length of the rhyme illustrates the short-term thinking that pervades expectations for romance and happiness in families.
As I look at a lot of relationships around me, I find that they are codependent at best. Even worse, there seems to be a rising conglomerate of people who prey upon one another. There are people who want sexual gratification, monetary advancement, or prestige of family status. A few months ago, a Facebook friend posted "First time you marry for love. Second time you marry for looks and money" and people opined that they could not skip to marriage #2! A few weeks ago, I wrote of a Craigslist story where both of the people played against each other for their own advancement. It calls to memory one of my favorite comedy skits on Jack and Jill:
The POE version is the best...it actually depicts an attack!
Not everyone is like that. Not everyone starts out like that. The problem starts when the romance period ends and two lovers settle down to the rigmarole of making a life together. I know I write about this way too much. I'm single.
Everything worth having takes work, and even the length of the rhyme illustrates the short-term thinking that pervades expectations for romance and happiness in families.
No comments:
Post a Comment