Better or Worse

It is shocking to know that even in today’s modern society that arranged marriages still occur.   A lot of Middle Eastern cultures seem to oppress the right of choice in marriage.   Children are deterred from choosing their life long partners.   Many arranged marriages end tragically.   Arranged marriages, though practiced in some cultures, are wrong.   No matter who, where, or what the culture is, arranged marriages should not be an option.

    Arranged marriages often end in violence or sometimes divorce. Unfortunately, divorce is not often an option and this leaves only violence.   In the book, “The Breadwinner”, Parvana looks up and hears a scream.   “A man was very angry.   He was shouting at a woman who was crying and screaming.   Parvana heard thuds and more screams.” (pg. 133)   This incident is exactly what some woman face everyday due to arranged marriages.   Women are threatened, beaten, and sometimes killed in their own homes by the men who marry them.   If a couple is fortunate enough, they may divorce or separate.   But in countries like Afghanistan, this isn’t an option, especially if the marriage is arranged.   The fear and terror that women in arranged marriages experience is real and can reach beyond the borders of Afghanistan.

    Not just in Afghanistan but all over Asia, parents arrange marriages for their children.   In China and Russia, daughters are sent to a matchmaker so that the parents do not have to arrange matches themselves.   In the story “Fiddler on the Roof”, young Ziedel is upset because she can’t marry the man that she loves because Yenta, the matchmaker, has found a match.   Ziedel is not alone in her position.   Deeper in Asia, the Chinese also use matchmakers which causes the same kind of distress for young woman.   In China, not only are the spouses chosen, the women are expected to leave their families and adopt the beliefs and customs of their husbands’ families.   In many stories from China young girls who get matched are falling...