Television in "All That Heaven Allows"

“All that Heaven Allows” reveals housewife Cary’s inner struggle between feeling compelled to conform to the established norms in her suburban community and wanting to pursue a relationship with a younger man. After her husband dies and her children leave for college, Cary appears to feel lonely and unoccupied. However, once she begins to spend time with the family gardener, Ron, Cary becomes lively and inspired. She is awestruck by Ron’s simplistic, down-to-earth outlook on life and rustic lifestyle. But when Ron asks Cary to marry him, she is torn. She is well aware that her neighbors and friends will be shocked at her decision to marry a younger man with a lower social status, and she is worried about the impact that their gossip will have on her children. Nonetheless, she allows Ron to persuade her, and proceeds to tell her children that she plans on marrying Ron. They are outraged, and accuse her of being interested in Ron for superficial reasons. Hoping to get a better reaction from her friends, Cary brings Ron to a neighborhood party. The female guests gawk at Cary and Ron and toss catty comments at Cary. Then, one of the male guests starts a fight with Ron and Cary and Ron flee the party. The following morning, Cary finds her daughter, Kay, sobbing in her room because one of her peers made a mean-spirited comment about Cary’s relationship with Ron. Utterly discouraged, Cary breaks off her engagement with Ron, vowing that she will not allow him to come between her and her children. Eventually, however, Cary realizes that her children are growing up and permanently leaving the nest and that she needs to do what makes her happy and she thus reunites with Ron.

Television proves a dominant symbol in “All That Heaven Allows”. Cary’s friend Sara expresses concerns that Cary has nothing to occupy her time, and repeatedly encourages her to invest in a television set. In fact, she goes to the extent of sending a television salesman to Cary’s house to entice her purchase a TV. Ultimately, Cary’s children surprise her with a TV for Christmas, promising that the box will absolve her loneliness. Various characters’ emphasis on TV as a solution for loneliness is ironic because television is not an interactive or social activity. People frequently watch TV in solitude. Essentially, Cary’s friends and family would prefer that she sit alone at home and watch TV than maintain a relationship that they deem unsuitable. Thus, in “All That Heaven Allows,” television represents solitude and conformity. By refusing to buy a television, Cary resists conformity.