In The Way We Were, Katie Morosky played by Barbra Streisand and Hubbell Gardiner played by Robert Redford get divorced because of fundamental differences in their values, personalities, and responses to political pressure during the McCarthy era blacklist in Hollywood in the early 1950s. Katie is a passionate, outspoken Jewish activist with strong left-wing political convictions who believes in standing up for justice, while Hubbell is a charming, easygoing, privileged WASP writer who wants an easy, comfortable life and avoids confrontation. Their marriage deteriorates after they move to Hollywood where Hubbell works as a screenwriter and Katie becomes increasingly vocal about social issues. Hubbell's friends and colleagues are accused of being communists, and when Hubbell is pressured to compromise his principles and name names to save his career, Katie urges him to take a stand, but Hubbell chooses the path of least resistance and remains detached. Hubbell also has an affair, showing his lack of commitment. Katie realizes that Hubbell will never share her passion or fight for what she believes in, and that their differences are irreconcilable. Their divorce reflects the broader theme that love is not enough when two people have fundamentally different ways of seeing the world.
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