They Shouldn't Make You Promise That

In everyone's life

there comes a point in time when you assess your life, not

just look back in time, but see the progression, the triumphs

and the failures.....Eleanor Smith had reached this point. She

sees that things aren't as they seem, the passion and desire is

gone from her marriage, she is unable to influence her

children's life, her best friend, who is an alcoholic seems to

have her life in more order then Eleanor. How did her happy

life slip away before her eyes. The story evolves around

Eleanor, emotions and feelings. On the outside side she tries

to be the happy homemaker, and plans dinnners for the

prestge of her husband, Hugh. She tries to get in touch with

her rebelious teenage daughter, and play the friend figure,

but whatever she does nothing seems to make them as close

as they used to be, bot even buying her gifts seems to work

anymore. Her son, who is going through a rough time,

because he recently broke up eith his girlfriend, won't allow

her to help him through his problem. Inside Eleanor is dying

from the lcak of love she receives
. Even what used to be a

young vibrant even beautiful face, has been washed out by

the stress she feels. The purpose of the story, is to inform the

reader that things aren't all ways as it seem, and that change

is inevtitable. After a disatorous dinner party, Hugh's best

friends wife, whom Eleanor was always quite envious of

because, she always seemed happy and she seemed have a

perfect marriage, but she soon realizes that like herself, she

feels lost in the shuffle of a over dominant husband. Another

lesson it teaches, is you can't always do the right thing.

Eleanor feels the need to escape from her life, if just for a

while, on a visit to her mother, Eleanor's mother even tries o

convince her that it would be insane to leave such a

comfortable life. Who would leave a handsome, well off

husband, three children that need a mother figure, and a

beautiful home. They Shouldn't Make You Promise That

takes place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Smith's live in

a fairly prominate community, making Eleanors situation even

worse, because she must contend with the fact of disgracing

her husband infront of the upity people she lives around, and

in a small community news of that caliber makes a good

topic for gossip. The subject matter deals with current

situations, it takes place during the 1980's when woman are

becoming more liberated. The tension between Hugh and

Eleanor grows throughout the book She finally leaves Hugh

to visit her mother, but when she returns she stays at another

mans house. While on her trip she took her dog with her, she

decides to take her the dog back to her family's house, she

also faces the decision of whether to return or do the brave

thing and start a new life. If she returns the choke chain while

get a little tighter, and there will always be another

psychiatrist to subscribe another pill for depression. If she

doesn't return she leaves her comfortable prison, and she

would leave her kids, how could she bare to live without her

kids. This is where the book reaches it's climax the whole

underlying meaning of the book depends on if she breaks

down and goes back or never looks back.