Dear Abby Responses from Characters in "The Sun Also Rises"

Here are two Dear Abby letters and responses- I couldn't decide what to write so I just did a little of both. I followed a theme in both responses where the two characters were trying to convince themselves that what they had done in their life was right, instead of what they might have said if they were trying to save the people some trouble. I think I took the characters from midway in the novel, rather than the end (which might cause them to answer these letters differently).
______________________

Dear Abby:

I'm a single man, in my mid-forties, an Air Force Academy graduate and former officer, who has never been married. I fell in love with a divorced mother of two who told me while we were dating that for the last 10 years she'd been having an affair with a married man I'll call "Rex." She left her husband because Rex promised he'd leave his wife and marry her, but he reneged -- so they met twice a week for sex. Rex worked nearby and would stop over during his lunch break. She told me all this while I was seeing her.

She finally broke it off about six months ago, saying she knew Rex was no good for her. Subsequently, I gave a job in my business, and she has turned out to be an excellent employee. Well, she recently confided to me that Rex came over during Easter and they'd had sex.

Abby, this woman is extremely bright. She's a wonderful mother to her daughters, a great worker, yet she lives like someone who's still in college and accountable to no one. She says she's not proud of what she does, bus she continues to do it. We no longer date, but I still have strong feelings for her. Does this make me nuts too? How can I help her? how can I break the spell he has cast over her? 

Mind-Boggled in Cincinnati 

Dear Mind-Boggled,

You are definitely nuts. Why do you want to help her become someone she’s not? She is accountable to no one. You have to follow your philosophy: we all pay in the end. Just because she has sex with other people and she tells you about it which makes you jealous and angry and she treats you like you’re no one, and tells you she loves you but then doesn’t do anything about it, and you don’t know who you are because of it doesn’t mean that she has to change. People are who they are- if she doesn’t want to marry you, why make a problem bigger? Love is meaningless. What rot! That’s life: this woman owes nothing to you. So you love her- what good does that do? There is no magical “spell” that makes a woman love you- believe me. It’s just sex. It doesn’t mean anything to her, why should it mean anything to you? Have you ever considered she doesn’t want to marry you because she’s not proud of what she does? Women are complicated- don’t get too hung up on people; they all die in the end anyways. Everyone comes with baggage. There's always one thing or another that they have. She's got two children for god's sake. It's just trouble. Love means nothing.  What the hell. Don’t get tight. Just accept the way things are. Don't think about it.

Jake

 ______________________

Dear Abby:

I am 37, never married, and have never even dated much. I am quiet, shy, overweight and plain. I have been seeing a man who is 42 years old, and has also never been married. He has proposed, but I haven't given him an answer because I don't hink I really love him. He is very good to me and treats me like a queen, but there is absolutely no spark. (There's also no sex. He's impotent and has no plans to do anything about it.)

My question is: Do I marry him and "settle," just to be married, or do I live the rest of my life alone? Is it better to take this chance and marry my best friend, or should I wait for a Prince Charming who might never arrive?

 Wavering in the Midwest

Dear indecisive fool,

I’d say get married. I mean, if you guys can talk and get along that’s fine. You can always have sex with someone else. I’m sure he’d understand, right? Seriously, if you change your mind later, and find someone else, just get a divorce! But let me tell you, there’s no Prince Charming. What rot! There’s always rather some fault or another. Don’t worry about love. It just makes things more complicated. Go with what’s easy- there’s fewer problems that way. Love! What rot! If he treats you nice, then I say keep it. Love isn’t what you’re looking for in a marriage. Have fun, drink. Love’s the problem. If you loved him, I’d say don’t marry him. It would just cause more problems. What rot! You should be married at least once, I think. It makes things easier. Just make sure you like him. If he is annoying, and follows you around everywhere, it can get tiresome. But then you can always divorce him later. Don’t worry about the future- spend what you have now; you can always get more later. Marriage isn’t that important.

Brett