How Soulmates and Love at First Sight Let Us Down
Why true love is found long after the honeymoon
What if Francesca left her family and ran off with Robert Kincaid?
I asked myself that question years ago after watching “The Bridges of Madison County,” a film set in the mid-1960s about a middle-aged Italian war bride and farm wife, Francesca, who falls in love with a worldly National Geographic photographer, Robert Kincaid.
The movie was based on the best-selling novel by Robert James. In the story, Francesca and Robert share a passionate, four-day affair while her husband and children are out of town at the state fair.
Robert wants Francesca to run off with him. She packs her bags but eventually decides to stay with her devoted husband and children.
Duty and responsibility over adventure and passion.
If Francesca had run off with Robert, I surmised, the fairy tale would eventually rupture. Her guilt would hover over them, like a persistent ghost. And sooner or later, they’d discover one another’s shortcomings and annoying habits.
The problem with Harlequin novels and Hollywood love stories is that they often perpetuate the false promise of soulmates and love at first sight.
