Although there are many differences between cultures, some aspects are very similar and being worried about late marriage just like in Marty', seems to be one of them. Living with his mother, 36-year old Marty is seriously pressured, to find a woman to marry. The age of 36 might not be considered old for a man to get married today in America. However in the 1950s things were different and it seems to have been a big deal. In that aspect, Korea today looks like America in the 1950s. It is very typical for unmarried people to live with their parents no matter how old they are. If a 36-year old man did not have a fiancée, it would probably be considered a serious problem to his family. For a woman, 29 years old would more likely be considered late. In both cases, the parents would probably be stressing the individuals about marriage. For example, my family would all gather together on holidays at my grandparents' house. I remember my thirty-two-year old aunt being strongly pressured by my grandparents to find a mate, especially on new years (since it was the day she became one year older). It seemed more like torture. At one point, Marty's mother says, "You're going to die without a son?- This seems to be one of the important reasons why people get married; to have someone carry on the family. I guess it is just a natural human instinct. .
Marty' reminded me of the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which I recently became addicted to. Unlike Raymond, his older brother Robert is not married (although it might be a slightly different case because he was divorced) and still lives with his parents. His mother Marie is not as stressful as the mother character in Marty' but still tries to get Robert to date women so he gets married. .
At the same time, Marty' also raises the issue of unattractive people being rejected. Marty, the main character is supposedly not good-looking and chubby, which is why he thinks women avoid him.
