"Other princes have made it through my forest," Alice Major muses in her poem puce fairy book, in response to her boyfriends wish of "a lady...[with] no rings on her fingers...never been kissed." Jane Callwood, grandmother of three and author of Forget Prince Charming, agrees. "Successful mating has little to do with finding Prince Charming," she writes, "who in my experience frequently is a narcissistic dope." In both their writings, they discuss the notion of a "perfect mate" or a "one true prince" in a relationship.Although from two different backgrounds, and assessing the situation from two different points of views, they tend to agree on this topic, mostly.
In Major's poem, she reflects on a past relationship, which fell apart due to her boyfriend's unrealistic expectations of her. In her eyes, he wanted "Rapunzel waiting in a tower," or "a lady sleeping in a garden...[who has] never been kissed." In the end, she rejects these fairy-tale designs of a relationship, stating that she "declines...the honor of cutting off my toe." This, of course, alludes to Cinderella, and her perfectly fitting glass slipper. She tried her best, metaphorically "piling up mattresses to cushion you," but alas, he is bruised by the "small nub...that is no fairytale." But it was all futile because, unlike Rapunzel, her "hair would never grow long enough."
Callwood, whose three "granddaughters are of marriageable age," tells them "that they cannot expect perfection" in their relationships. She speaks of compromise being "the same glue that holds our peculiar country together." She believes things such as humour, punctuality, integrity, and honesty are what's really important in long-term relationships.
Generally speaking, it is safe to assume that Callwood and Major have the same beliefs when dealing with relationships. They both agree that a perfect relationship is not attainable. Each partner will have faults, and they will disagree on a lot of topics. Callwood states that "happily married couples make concessions to one another's peculiarities all the time." No man or woman should go into a relationship expecting perfection on every level, but rather compatibility and good character. Then maybe they will live happily ever after.
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