Take weddings, for example. Although we often think of weddings as joyful occasions, they actually mask social circumstances fraught with uncertainty and even danger. Two people are in a sense wrenching themselves free from their families of origin in order to form a new family. Everyone involved—parents, siblings, bride, groom—is being asked to do the hard work of changing social roles and relationships, and the question of the day is, How can we possibly get from here to there?
