Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: The Rewards and Challenges of Sharing a Life Together in Marriage in Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie. The writer does not tire from giving his readers exclusive snippets of the life of Sharon and David including the not so good ones. Ultimately their shared life comes to an abrupt halt after almost fifty years of companionship when Sharon ‘lay on her deathbed’ (pp. 168). Even in death, their love is still evident in the four children that they had sired together: they cried and hugged her and left them alone (pp. 168). This article is a continuation of this love story and analyzes the rewards and challenges of sharing a life together in marriage.

Mental health and happiness are perhaps one of the best-portrayed advantages of marriage in the short story. Though no direct linkage is drawn to show that David or Sharon’s good mental state was achieved through the sharing of their life, it is evident that they ended up being happy by being together. The writer writes that ‘her joy was always rowdy, rude and pervasive’ (pp. 152). The benefits of companionship in relation to good mental health and happiness are varied in nature and cannot be exhausted in writing. When he did not see Sharon for one month, David ‘assumed that Sharon had left him forever’ (pp. 158). This was a clear sign that he was in distress. Most importantly, a person’s attitude towards life is clearly enhanced giving one a positivist approach in life. Ever since the time of their meeting, David and Sharon did little things together that made their life full of happiness. Actually, even when they faced the largest threat to their marriage – when Sharon was unfaithful – they still resolved the issue to ensure their continued happiness. Clearly, were it not for the earlier strong foundation that the two had built at the beginning of their dating life, their marriage would have crumbled at that point. David confesses that they ‘were inseparable’ and ‘ate their meals together and fed each other’ (pp. 151)