In Say Yes by Tobias Wolff, a central tension between husband and wife is illuminated and never resolved by the end of the story. The tension revolves around racism and the meaning of true love. In this plot, point of view and irony reveal a married couple who become estranged. The story begins by talking about a married couple who seem to have a solid relationship where they work very well together. Having this cohesive, unified relationship really helps set the story for the conversation they have about racism and marriage. The husband thinks he knows his wife, but in reality he doesn't know her at all. The husband tells his wife, “A person from their culture and a person from our culture could never truly know each other” (247). In this part of the story, the husband relates culture to the idea of ​​race and as the conversation progresses and personal beliefs come into play, the husband upsets the wife. He takes the conversation to a point where it probably shouldn't have gone by implying that he wouldn't marry her if she were black. She initially had no intention of turning this conversation into an argument, but her husband didn't want to drop the topic. He knew, “sometimes his wife had this look where she would pinch her eyebrows together, bite her lower lip, and stare at something. When he saw her like that he knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he never did” (246). Involved in the argument, the husband says, “Jesus, Ann. All right. No” (248). This moment of conversation changes the entire dynamic of the relationship. After having this discussion and it eventually dies down with the wife moving away, the husband comes to a realization. He realizes that there was no reason to argue with someone who... halfway through the paper... the couple begins right after the story begins and persists until almost the last paragraphs when he approaches his wife outside the bathroom . The dispute begins when the topic of blacks and marriage is brought into the conversation while they are washing the dishes. This text has an ending that remains incomplete and is ambiguous as to what actually happens between husband and wife at the end. The story chooses to do this because it is essential to the entire irony of the story. Starting with a cohesive bond and ending with the couple becoming strangers, the story illustrates that even though you may be married to someone for years, you still may not know who they are as an individual. Works Cited Lynn, Steven. Say yes. Texts and contexts: writing about literature with critical theory. New York: HarperCollins College, 1994. 245-49. Press.