feelings on Portia and some on death

I had trouble relating to Portia after Mark left her for Helen. I understand that it must have been a shock for her to learn that after sixteen years with Mark, he could cheat on her with another woman. And on top of that, he even got the other woman pregnant, not very classy of him. But I found it very strange that she was so hurt by his actions when just a few days prior she had cheated on Mark with John. Therefore, it was really hard to sympathize with her pain and confusion about the situation because SHE HAD ALSO CHEATED.

I think that it is hard for me to empathize with Portia when she “fell apart” after Mark suddenly and without any previous warning moved out of the house that they shared. Couples I have known have split up but never have I even actually heard of anyone acting in the same way as Portia did. She did not shower, shop for groceries, do laundry, or even do basic chores around the house. I was appalled when I read that passage about John coming to her house and the state that everything was in. Forgetting to turn off lights happens occasionally to everyone, but to not even remember the last time that you were in the same room as the lamp is ridiculous. She did not even realize that the heat in the house was not turned on until John mentioned that her “heat may be out.” Other incidents that I found outrageous included the mail overflowing from the mailbox, stacking piles of student admissions on the side of the bed where Marks used to sleep, and having a hard time finding clean underwear to wear.

However, this passage made me think about how I treat death (Mark leaving Portia can be viewed as a kind of death, at least the unexpected death of a loved one). Only three people who have been close to my family have died. My great aunt, who lived in Poland, died when I was twelve and that was the first person who was close to me to die. I remember that I had seen her only a few months before during the summer and I should have been more upset when she I learned that she had died from a stroke. I remember thinking that at least she was with God since she had always been very religious and that was really it. Both my grandfathers died when I was eighteen and within a year of each other. I remember that I was very shocked and I cried maybe a minute or two but I think that was from the shock more than anything else. I quickly made my peace and moved on. I think that a large portion of why death does not seem to affect me that much is because in my family you do not dwell on the negative parts of death. Instead both my grandfathers are remembered fondly and we sometimes even go as far as to laugh at their expense. We know that they are gone but you need to live your life because the past is in the past.