Journal for "The Second Choice"

The reading for today is "The Second Choice" by Theodore Dreiser.
In reading this story I am immediately struck by the character of Shirley and how she reminds me of many people in life that often believe that safe equates to boring and thus if a person does not necessarily have stability they are an exciting person. It brings up the idea of why people often have affairs and Shirley actual reminds me of characters from novels such as "The Awakening" and "Fences" that have characters that desire and respect safety but are also tired of the boredom they feel and wish for more excitement. I think this contrast between safety and freedom and the desire for both is a very common archetype that offers a lot of thought to why people have this idea. I like the story though I must admit none of the characters within it appeal to me very much.