Book 1, Either/Or : Chapter 5, Aesthetic Validity of Marriage Summary and Analysis

Soren Kierkegaard continues. He is writing about marriage and many features of it. He is exploring moral concerns in relation to marriage. He also discusses morality with respect to a refusal or resistance against marriage as a way of life. At this point, he has asserted that the main purpose of marriage for a man is self-improvement. He now moves the discussion forward, by talking about motives for marriage. Material gain is one that is brought up; this can take two forms - one might be financial gain and another may well be many offspring. Bear in mind that while he has asserted that children are to be accepted into a family as a blessing he now also points out that it isn't really right for a...