Amy Middleton Loves New York

I’ve been listening to Les Mis a lot lately, and one song always feels odd to me. It’s “Every Day,” in which Marius is preoccupied with discovering who rescued him, and Cosette tells him, “Don’t think about it, Marius, with all the years ahead of us. I will never go away, and we will be together every day,” and then recounts the details of their meeting and commitment to each other. These lines used in any contemporary setting would be the context of a gag in which Marius would tug at his collar, look around anxiously, and perhaps nervously smile if Cosette were suspicious of how trapped he felt and how unappealing that scenario seemed. In popular culture, women declare devotion only to their detriment. When I listen to this song, these words don’t sound romantic but desperate and embarrassing.

I realize that I’ve bought into the idea that men only care for “the chase;” they fear commitment and prefer to move on to the next conquest. This is how I have been taught to view men. “Like it or not, it’s a biological fact,” we’re told, followed by instructions on how to not seem too eager, available, or in love. I wonder if Cosette’s song of commitment and togetherness once seemed more idyllic than it does today. If so, then shame on society for promoting a cheap caricature of men as a timeless, universal truism. Granted that commitments may be feared or even fled, that doesn’t weaken their importance. Either way, shame on me for having become a person who believes that it’s unbecoming for a woman to express her feelings for her beloved, lest he then choose to pursue freedom over her companionship. Love must necessarily be strong enough to withstand mutual adoration and profession of such.