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Despite their infidelity, neither Jo nor Cork spends the night with their lovers until they learn of the other’s betrayal. It seems that, until that point, spending an entire night was a boundary they were unwilling to cross. What do you think changed in their view of their marriage and future that led to this shift in behaviour?
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Well, seeing Harlan’s photos is the catalyst for both of them. The photos are like a big slap in the face for both of them. Both feel betrayed. Both feel hurt and angry and confused. And the emotional intimacy that comes with their marriage is shattered. I’m not sure they fully realized it but when they see the photos they both ask themselves why am I bothering? Why am I not moving on/committing to a future with this new person? And because they were both so hurt and confused they somewhat impulsively then crossed that boundary.
I also think each had some sort of unspoken rule or etiquette that led them to not spend the night over with their lovers, that being, even though they were separated, they were still married. That, and I think they were considering their children too (especially in Jo’s case where she’s in the family home.). I would add, that there’s a lot more complexity and emotional hurt hinted at – that Cork closed down and isolated himself from Jo after the shootings at the fishing rights incident, so there’s deeper problems with their marriage than just them having taken up with new people that they have to resolve.-
Jo is right, they were drifting before the shootings. And tragedy, even shared tragedy, amplifies what is going on in a relationship rather than being a unifying force. Even with his wish to reconcile, Cork is unable or unwilling to open up to Jo about his nightmare, or even acknowledge her expression of concern. His answer to “Want to talk about it?” “No.” “It was just a dream and it’s over.” In a way, that almost sounds like a statement about their marriage although that is not what Cork would think he is saying.
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Both Cork and Jo understood that public knowledge of their infidelity would hurt people they cared about, Cork thinks mostly of their children, Jo also of Sandy Parrant and likely her own professional reputation. But none of those concerns automatically become irrelevant. Cork wanted to reconcile. Jo is adamant the marriage is over and she is working to make the divorce amicable but still wonders how it all fell apart, why the tragedy didn’t bring them together and remembers Cork’s struggles in the aftermath of the shootings. I think both of them still feel a connection, profoundly tenuous, to one another and the family they once were. Both of them were seemingly caught unawares by the other’s relationship and what that meant about their marriage and future. The betrayal of infidelity challenges any remaining connection. It exposes the extent to which they have drifted apart. I think there is both anger and a sense that the chasm between them is so much wider that they may be unable to bridge it if they try.
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Cork has a much stronger moral ground in that Jo betrayed their marriage by starting the affair before they separated. His sense of her good character and honesty is punctured. So the good faith he put in the idea that they could go to counselling and patch up their marriage was built on a false premise.
Jo is acting out of emotion (and looking for self justification?) She’s also being manipulated by Sandy so it’s not completely her fault But her response is a reaction to her own guilt. She jumps on a chance to feel justified for her poor behaviour.-
I have always felt more sympathy for Cork, both because of the enormity of what he has lost and because Jo’s affair began when he was clearly dealing with the immediate aftermath of the shootings. But, Cork has erected a wall around himself, one he is unwilling or unable to allow Jo to penetrate. No doubt, it is intended to protect him but it remains a wall nonetheless.
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I think that Sandy manipulated Jo’s vulnerability because of Cork’s disgrace and his moving out; neither Cork nor Jo seemed able to discuss their emotions related to what was happening. Instead of moving towards each other in support; they moved further apart and sought emotional comfort in another. Jo feels flattered that Sandy has paid attention to her because she is older and has children. She “was infatuated, but had never let herself use the word ‘love’ even in her own thinking.” Jo eventually realizes that her family and life are in Aurora and she will not give that up because as she told Sandy “there’s no future” in their relationship. Sandy goes on to say that they “agreed not to talk about a future together,” which to me seems to show he is just using her for his own advantage with the final coup being the pictures of Molly and Cork which Sandy shows to Jo. As Sandy is hunting Jo and Cork at the end of the story, “Jo realized more clearly than she ever had how alone they all were in the world. God, they should have held together. They should have found a way. She looked at herself, cowering in the dark little hollow, and she felt full of disgust. Cork’s cry had saved her from being discovered by Sandy.” It’s the “small fire of anger and self-loathing that moves her to save Cork and Henry.
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I found Jo most sympathetic and genuine in those final scenes. I was grateful her recognition of how she had been used spurred her to action rather than immobilization. It would be easy to see Jo as the villain, asking Cork to leave the family home and beginning another relationship before that. But Cork plays a role in his withdrawal and avoidance.
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