Notes

Write a note in this area. It's really easy to share with others. Click here ...Dealing with the consequences of a major decision is an inevitable aspect of life. Unfortunately some decisions can not be undone; and, therefore must be accepted. In John Updike’s “Separating” Richard Maple faces the final moments of one such decision. Although the author makes it clear that Richard is the catalyst for the impending separation between himself and his wife Joan, throughout the short story he begins to regret the consequences of the couple’s decision. Updike utilizes a limited omniscient point of view in order to present an intimate insight into Richard’s thoughts during this turning point in his life, while maintaining an emotional detachment from the events as they unfold. Through a limited omniscient narrator, Updike is able to effectively convey an important universal message in “Separating”: regret prevents the acceptance necessary in order to move forward.
In the second paragraph of the story, Richard’s regret for the decision he and his wife have made begins to surface. Consider the final line of paragraph two: “In his sealed heart he hoped the day would never come” (638). It is clear that Richard fears the impending divorce, but the reader is able to separate from Richard emotionally due to the third person point of view utilized. If the line had been written from Richard’s perspective, the reader would feel pity for him and thus be prevented from evaluating the theme Updike so carefully presents: regret is useless and only serves to make accepting the consequences of one’s actions more difficult. This inevitable conclusion is foreshadowed in paragraph two by Richard’s silent wish, one that is revealed from a detached, omniscient narrator and not the emotionally compromised Richard himself.