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| Not my favorite version but |
| Welles is classic! |
Worse, if the couple's compatibility has been told, not shown, the readers/viewers may wonder, "Uh, now that all the danger and emotional reunions are past, will the couple be able to pay rent, do laundry, take care of the dog, and still get along?"
A related question is, "Do they actually even like each other?"
These posts will attempt to answer the "will they last" question for a variety of couples, from book couples to television couples, from classic couples to more recent couples.
A classic couple starts the series. Jane Eyre and Rochester exemplify many of the qualities that assure readers, "Yes, the couple will get over the intense emotional stuff and continue to like each other and function well together: Yeah, they actually fit...the weirdos."
1. They enjoy each other's company.
I tend to define good relationships by dialog, the ability to exchange views. However, members of a good couple don't have to be great conversationalists. They simply need to find it easy to be around each other. As they discuss philosophy and history--or vacations and childcare--they speak a similar language.
Jane and Rochester, of course, immediately spark during conversations. Jane is happy enough with her new position. When Rochester shows up, however, she comes to life intellectually and emotionally. Ah, someone on my wavelength! Initially, the two may come across as combative. It would be more precise to say that they are discovering each other conversational gambits. Once that initial trial period ends, conversations come easier.
2. They miss each other.
Jane Eyre delivers one of the most romantic passages in all literature--yet it would fall flat if the ending of the novel didn't bear out the claims. Jane and Rochester will indeed always find their way back to other.
3. They resolve arguments without emotional blackmail or disdain.
Rochester is too eager for affection and Jane too rational for such negative approaches to work. It is St. John Rivers who tries to manipulate Jane into feeling an obligation to him, not Rochester. And Jane runs from him to Rochester.
4. The reader/viewer can picture them together in the future.
Some of the couples for "Will the Couple Last?" will fail precisely because they appear to spend their lives circling their courtship. They are enamored with the romance of "together/not together/together/not together" and "the wedding/the excitement/other people's applause." They seem entirely unprepared to do anything that isn't paid for or manufactured for them by other people.
Jane and Rochester, however, I can see creating functional lives together well into the future.
