The True Ideal Husband
After watching the movie An Ideal Husband, which talks about love and what is an ideal husband. I was deeply impressed by the ideal husband who is really entitled to. Although the director paid more attention to Robert Chiltern, I still vote for Lord Goring. While in my opinion the ideal husband is not the hero in the movie, but the second leading male character:Lord Goring. As far as I am concerned, Lord Goring is a man who lives in the Vanity Fair but holds his own view about fashion, power, money love and society; who possess intelligence, wealth, background but have no greed for more fame and gain; who does not care his future career or other’s opinion on him, but is willing to protect his friend from scandals. To begin with, Lord Goring is very calm and intelligent when facing difficult. In the movie, faced with the threats of Mrs.
Cheveley, Robert was so nervous and scared that he wanted to give in immediately.
In order to prevent his past disgrace and
scandal from being exposed to the public, he decided to compromise with Mrs. Cheveley on lending his support to the Argentine speculation, which is actually “a commonplace Stock Exchange swindle”.
On the contrary, as Robert and his wife’s
friend, Lord Goring firstly advised Robert
that he should tell his wife the whole thing,
because he thought that women have a
wonderful instinct about things.
Then he changed Robert’s some views
about money, power and life,
and told him that confession would be of no use and it would ruin one’s future life. He
suggested that Robert should fight Mrs.
Cheveley and live the truth. He broke the
difference and conflicts between Robert and Robert’s wife Chiltern, and helped Robert
solve the intractable affair step by step.
Secondly, Lord Goring is a kind person who is willing to try his best to protect his friends. After he knew the news about his friend
Robert’s scandal he understood Robert’s situation and persuade him to get rid of
threat and fight it instead of laughing at him. He is a close friend of Chiltern’s, so he
talked to her face to face about Robert’s
difficult situation, stress and impotence in
work sometimes. Although he finally failed
to tell her the truth about her husband’s
past scandals, but he told her intimated
friend Chiltern that no matter what happen
for any reason, if she melt difficulties she can turn to him for help, and he would do his best to help her.
I think those are really warm, courage and
helpful words for people when they meet
problems. Then at that night he received
Chiltern’s letter about asking him for help he cancelled every business affairs even his
loved girl’s invitation and told his servant
that is the most important thing and asked
him not open door for any other people
except Chiltern and Robert.
He talked with his friend Robert about the
scandal thing and let Chiltern wait beside
the house. He opened the door of the
house on purpose and let Chiltern can hear
them when Robert talked about how much he love her and how important she is.
He intended to break the difference and
conflict between the couple. Unfortunately,
the servant allowed Mrs. Cheveley come in
the house instead of Chiltern. When Robert met Mrs. Cheveley he mistook Lord
Goring’s intention and leaved angrily.
Although, he was misread by Robert he still
remembered his mission and he pretend to
fall in love with Mrs. Cheveley so as to get
the important letter and help Robert.
He made a bet with Mrs. Cheveley on his
freedom to get the letter,
which really supports me to believe that
Lord Goring is the best kind of friend who is willing to help friend without regarding
himself. We can also learn that he really
believein his friend and support his friend in any case.
Thirdly, I think he is a pure and highminded man who live in such a hypocritical and
secular society, but still hold his own opinion about fashion, fame, love and everything.
According to the movie and foregoing
paragraphs we can learn that Lord Goring
is a man who is intelligent, calm, wealthy,
and observant, so he possess every qualities
to be a successful figure in politics stage, but actually he did not. In his father’s opinion he is a useless person who only enjoys joy,
sex and alcohol and without regarding
marriage and career;
in his friend’s opinion he is the idlest man
in London who lead a leisure and free life.
While in my opinion he is a charming man
who holds his own opinion about everything and loathes the complex and dark political
society. He thought that to love oneself is
the beginning of lifelong romance. He also
thought “fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other wear”
; he argued that everything is dangerous,
thus life is worth living, and “life is never
fair, and it is a good thing for most of us it is not”.
The movie ended with the marriage of Lord Goring’s. His wife said that she did not like an ideal husband, she love a man who can
be whatever he chooses,
and Robert responded if everyone married
a woman he deserved, he would be
unfortunate.
We can learn that Lord Goring hate the
model of an ideal husband who spares no
effort to earn money and fame; who had to be judged by the world; who has to hide the true self and pretend to be a perfect man.
I think this movie is more interesting than I
expected. It is not only talks about politics; it pays more attention to love and self-improvement. Love can forgive and change a person and help a person become better. According to Lord Goring I understand what an ideal husband is at that time, and I think
he is a very cool and successful man.
