Maturity and Marriage Theme Analysis

Although the story focuses largely on Mr. Mahmood’s individual journey of self-discovery, it also demonstrates how a strong romantic relationship can help facilitate important personal growth and healing. Upon first glance, Mr. Mahmood’s interactions with Isobel highlight a discrepancy in their respective maturity levels: Mr. Mahmood dismisses Isobel’s attempts at getting him to talk about what’s bothering him; Mr. Mahmood nearly finishes a bottle of wine over dinner to push off his stress, while Isobel doesn’t drink during the work week; Isobel stays calm when Mr. Mahmood finally confides in her about his anger at the teenage thief, encouraging him to think about the day’s events from the boy’s point of view. Based on these examples, the reader can see that Isobel is more levelheaded than her husband, and she creates a supportive environment in which he eventually feels safe enough to verbalize his emotions, which is important because he is someone who chronically avoids facing how he feels. In this way, Isobel helps Mr. Mahmood move closer to the realizations he reaches by the end of the story, and because of Isobel’s somewhat tough love, Mr. Mahmood opens up to thinking about his emotions and how he interacts with the world.

While Isobel seems more traditionally mature than Mr. Mahmood, the reader can see that she has also grown from their relationship. Mr. Mahmood notes that he and Isobel sometimes board a random bus or train going the wrong way, and they stay calm and find enjoyment in discovering new parts of the country, though he knows that Isobel might act differently if she were alone. Here, the narrative highlights that Isobel has also learned from Mr. Mahmood and is able to loosen up more easily despite her relatively straitlaced demeanor. By portraying marriage as a two-way street in which both parties can help their partner recognize and reconcile with their flaws, Afolabi infuses the story’s bittersweet end with an upbeat note, as Mr. Mahmood deems his wife his life’s “one certainty.”