Marriage

Marriage is an important theme in the short story collection “Bark” by Lorrie Moore, and is one of the themes found consistently through the book. Marriage, in some way, shape, or form, has affected the plots and characters of nearly every story, usually in a negative fashion.

In the story “Debarking”, divorcee Ira Milkens attempts to get back into the dating game with a woman named Zora, who seems to be obsessed with her son. Ira’s marriage, having dissolved, leaves him reeling, and so he is willing to compromise normalcy for Zora’s mental instability based on her attractiveness, and Ira’s own desire not to be alone any longer. In “Paper Losses”, a married couple goes through the final throes of their life together, attempting to stave off divorce with a less than half-hearted last-minute vacation. The marriage no longer has the same youthful...