Are Happy Marriages Possible in American Society?

American culture has always considered marriage a different enterprise than other societies. Love is paramount to Americans. Marry whom you love, as the saying goes. Building a family is expected in American society. This is similar to societies through history, where children mean continuing the family lines. But are happy marriages sustainable, and possible, in our society? The rise of divorces might point to a glaring weakness in the love affairs of citizens, so is marriage all about finding the perfect mate? Or is there no perfect mate?

The first way of looking at it is that there isn't an ideal mate to be sought out and married. Many cultures have arranged marriages (Tepperman 188). Some cultures in Europe and in the Middle East commonly arrange marriages for their young. In these cultures couples are arranged usually to strengthen political ties, and often work well for families. Money plays a clear role in these marriages, and aren't many marriages between those who are supposed to love each other about money? It would usually not be admitted, but the case for there being no perfect marriages is a strong one. Also, there are so many people in the world that it would be hard to find the perfect mate among them (Tepperman 188). Many people marry young and then find they lose interest, romantically, in their mate.