Expectations vs. reality
Like any other person, Francis has certain expectations. For instance, he is almost absolutely sure that his family is going to be ecstatic that he didn’t die in a plane crash. However, as it turns out to be, on one pays the fact that they could lost a bread winner, a father and a husband in the person of Francis, even a little bit of attention. It is rather discouraging, to put it mildly. For the very first time in his life, Francis asks himself whether his family needs him as much as he used to think. This conflict of expectations and reality makes him to reevaluate his life.
Adultery
They say that adultery might even help a marriage. There is also a common opinion that adultery ruins everything good between two people and – what is even more important – it destroys trust. Everyone has a right to have his/her own opinion, but it is important to not forget about others. Francis gives in to a temptation and starts behaving in an unreasonably reckless way which could lead to dangerous consequences. He stops before it is too late but it doesn’t mean that he is not going to repeat something like that in the future.
A suburban life
A life is not flawless. Looking at other people, one can often think that it is an ideal life, that others don’t have problems he or she has, that they don’t have to work as hard as he or she does. It is the biggest aberration, for people tend to idealize other people’s lives. At the very beginning of the story readers learn that Francis Weed lives in a lovely little town with clean streets and spacious houses whose backyards are ideal for family picnics. We might start imagining his ideal life but the author destroys the illusions. There is no a perfect person and there is no a perfect life is a message of the story.
