Big Little Lies Marriage

The phrase "and they lived happily ever after" doesn't quite work in the context of Big Little Lies.

Take Madeline. Her first husband ran out on her and a weeks-old baby to go kick it on a beach in Bali. Her second husband Ed is amazing, but it would be a big little lie to say that they were 100% happy 100% of the time.

Or take Renata. She's one half of a Pirriwee power couple, until it’s revealed that her hubby is having an affair with the nappy. (How cliché.)

And, of course, there's Celeste. She married a handsome, super-rich guy that she was head over heels in love with…only to find out that he's a psychopath with a violent streak.

Yeah. Wedding bells do not equal everlasting happiness.

Questions About Marriage

1. Does this novel show marriage as a positive institution? 
2. How do Madeline and Ed compliment each other?
3. What are the reasons that Celeste stays in her marriage?
4. Why does Renata's marriage dissolve?

Chew on This

Big Little Lies portrays the bond of co-parenting as stronger than marriage.

In Big Little Lies, marriage is portrayed as being old-fashioned and obsolete.