02/12/2018

Psychologist have studied it for years. Human relationships are arguably the most complicated relationships on planet Earth. Going a bit farther, Peg Streep, a psychologist that studies primarily marital relationships, says that husband and wife relationships, sometimes, can only be understood if one is in the relationship themselves (Streep). However, Tobias Wolff, the author of “Say Yes,” published in 1985, uses symbolism to give his readers a plethora of room for interpretation of the husband and wife’s relationship in this short story, in hopes that many readers are able to relate to the couple’s issues.
The short story, “Say Yes,” begins at a critical time in the relationship between an unnamed man and his wife, Ann. The couple stands in the kitchen at the sink doing the dishes. “They were doing the dishes, his wife washing while he dried. He 'd washed the night before.
Unlike most men he knew, he really pitched in on the housework.” This statement shows that this relationship was built on equality, as the couple shares the burden of house chores. “Helping out with the dishes was a way he had of showing how considerate he was.” Also, this statement supports the idea that this husband was considerate and helpful to his wife.
Although “Say Yes” begins with an ever so carefree mood, it quickly takes a turn when the question of interracial marriage is “somehow” brought up. At the surface, this short story seems as though the argument is purely over the