I’ve been pondering what defines a revolutionary road? This comes after finishing the novel written by Richard Yates and recently made into a movie. The novel recounts the lives of Frank and April Wheeler in 1950’s America who sought to break out from their hum drum suburban lives by moving to another country.
If you’ve read the book or seen the film you’ll know how the story goes. But if you haven’t, Frank and April are miserable and not much happens in their lives. There answer was to plan to move to France but they never made it - tragedy strikes after the best of intentions. I didn’t warm to Frank and April’s story. To me it was like they were living a role play making plans and having thoughts that they knew they’d never follow through on but enjoying the impact of their game which improved their personal relationship at the time and made people in a more positive light. It all seemed so shallow and unauthentic which is really the overall message of the novel.
I was given this book by my sister-in-law for my birthday so I was excited to read it. I did find it hard to relate to the values of life in the 1950s though.  The characters in the book lacked ambition, energy and courage that I would see necessary to pass along a revolutionary road. Reading the book also made me realise how little I know about that period of time.
Life seems to have many more options available to you these days and there are people are encouraged to think big, fulfil their potential, take risks and lead a life that makes the most of what’s on offer. And people are doing just that. Whatever happened to doing the conventional thing – although I think that’s the problem what’s convention any more?
Certainly for Frank and April, convention was being satisfied with working in a humdrum life in a humdrum community where not much happens except life goes on. Interestingly it was April’s ambitions for herself and Frank that led them down that revolutionary road and would be her eventual undoing. He on the other hand was not that unhappy and could be satisfied with what he had getting his kicks from an extra marital affair which to me was his way of keeping control of his life that he was unable to do in his married life.
Maybe coming to New Zealand was following my revolutionary road. I certainly feel life is more satisfying as I’m doing those things that I want to do rather than feel I ought to do. New Zealand seems to offer new opportunities for people that they can’t see possible where they were living before. Maybe like Frank and April we’ve all run away to find the good life rather than make a good life where we were?
I just watched that film and it wasn’t quite the Saturday night I’d planned – I felt very depressed after watching it! But also very grateful that my family and I are able to enjoy life, wherever we are. We never ran away to find the good life, we already had it and will always have it – happiness truly comes from inside. Circumstances brought us here and work opportunities keep us here now. We are very happy, but we’d also be happy wherever we were. Occasionally, when I’m feeling down I blame the place I’m living in, but more often – and with hindsight – I realize that the source of the meloncholy is internal.
Anyway, good on you for following your path to happiness.
Sarah
You never cease to amaze with your generous spirit and honesty of thought. You are right that true happiness comes from within. For some people it takes longer to find that inner peace and for others they never find what they are looking for. I have always known what would make me happiest, it was just having the courage to make the necessary change to achieve it.
JT
Oh Julie, you are so right in saying ‘having the courage to make the necessary change’. There are times in life when place and circumstances in our outside world are simply not working for us, and some people never find the courage to make the change. I love the book ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ [http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/] for summing this up. It does take incredible courage to do what you have done and continue to do and I absolutely admire you.
Anyway, it’s getting late at the time of writing for me, so I will away and wish you a warm and cosy sleep! It’s a howling Southerly here tonight!
Best wishes, Sarah