"A Fox Stalking a Brace of Partridges" (ca. 1712-1753) by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755)
After the main character finds out about Maggie, she decides to "stalk her on the internet immediately" (25).
Is "stalking" a fair description of what she does?
To what extent is it advisable or healthy for her to do this?
How likely is it to help her understand what has happened and is happening to her marriage or to help her process is emotionally?
How likley is it that she will learn something meaningful about Maggie and her husband's relationship with her from whatever she can find out about her online?
While stalking does imply a level of maliciousness she doesn't seem to have, it is pretty arguably unhealthy for her to go so far as to photo-shop Maggie into family photos. That quite obviously is a clear cry of "she's replacing me and better for them than me."
ReplyDeleteStalking is probably the best way to put, however its not as malicious as the word would make it out to be. However, it is definitely unhealthy for her to be doing this. While it may help her answer when the affair started, she is only going to make herself feel worse than she already does. Additionally, these answers will likely only be estimates based on what she finds. The only way she will be able to get concrete answers is through her husband or Maggie.
ReplyDeleteStalking is an unfair word to use here; it was just curiosity getting the best of her. When you experience a sudden breach of trust, you naturally want to figure out why, and she is trying to piece it together. Doing this is not very healthy, as it just feeds into her anxiety. Furthermore, it is very unlikely she will find anything meaningful online; rather, she will just make assumptions.
ReplyDeleteI do not think "stalking" is a fair description of what the main character did when she looked up Maggie on the internet. At this point, she has not repetitively and obsessively looked her up on the internet or on all the social media platforms. It came from a place of simply wanting to know the simple details about Maggie that Maggie chose to share on the internet. This is not healthy at all for her to do this because she's immediately going to start making comparisons and making up scenarios in her head about the affair which could make her obsessive and is not good for her mental health. Also, looking her up on the internet or "stalking" her is not going to help her understand what has happened or is happening in her marriage because those are only answers she can get from her husband. The internet is not going to give her what she is looking for. Additionally, it is not going to help her process this emotionally because all she is looking at are glimpses of Maggie's life which is only going to make the main character ask questions she can't get the answer to or compare herself and her life to Maggie. I think it is unlikely that the main character is going to find out something meaningful about her husband's affair from searching Maggie on the internet because whatever is on the internet is likely only things that Maggie wants the world to see about her. So, the main character isn't going to get any details beyond the surface of who Maggie is and why the affair happened. She is just not going to find those answers on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI would not say the word 'stalking' is a fair description of what she is doing as she is not doing it maliciously as the term generally refers to. She is simply trying to get some information on the person her husband is having an affair with. While it is not exactly a healthy thing to do, it will probably provide her with a bit of clarity, information, and perhaps a bit of comfort. However, this in not going to help her emotionally process what is happening to her. The only way to properly go about that is with time.
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