Relationships

     Relationships are complicated and can be destructible. Without proper communication, trust and respect, there can not be a long lasting relationship. Couples face rough patches throughout every relationship, however it does not mean the end to their love. The following short stories describe sensitive subjects that can either lead to the ultimate destruction of a relationship, or a beautiful relationship with more love and trust. 

    The short story, "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, shows a conversation between a young man and young woman. The young man spends the conversation persuading his significant other to take "am awfully simple operation" (Hemingway 369). It turns out that the operation is an abortion. The man in the story is trying to persuade the girl to get an abortion so they do not have to worry about raising a child. Deception is a common theme in the short story because he continuously tells the girl what he thinks she wants to hear. For example, "I don't want you to do it if you don't want to" (Hemingway 371). The boy says this statement multiple times throughout the story to try and get the girl to know that he cares. However, it is more clear that the boy is more concerned about getting the abortion than how the girl feels. This is a complicated issue that many couples face. The girl feels forced to give him what he wants and she hides her true emotions about the loss of a child because the boy is not willing to properly listen. Trust and communication go a long way in a relationship and there is not much of either of those things between these two. As a result of this, the relationship does not show promise in the end and the girl is clearly not happy in the relationship even though he says, "There's nothing wrong with me. I feel fine." (Hemingway 371).

    "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, is a unique story that does not completely focus on the interactions between a couple, but the feeling of being lonely without a significant other. The narrator describes the life of Emily, a strange woman that is known by the entire town. However, not much is known about Emily besides the death of her father, and that her husband to be mysteriously disappeared before their wedding. Ultimately, it is found out that Emily's fiancé was dead and she spent years sleeping next to his decaying body. The theme of loneliness is represented by both the death of her fiancé and her father. For example, "She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body." (Faulkner 316). Although her father was dead, Emily refused to accept this fact because she did not want to let go. She must have felt lonely and wanted to feel company by keeping the dead bodies of her loved ones. This is also shown when they discover that she slept next to her dead fiancé's body. She has trouble accepting change and death. There is no context on whether or not the relationship got stronger or not because Emily was by herself and not in a relationship for the duration of the story.

    While relationships have their ups and downs, selfish desires also play a large role in how people make decisions. "Araby" by James Joyce describes a young man who is attracted to his neighbor and what he was willing to do to impress her. The first time the boy met the girl, she asked him if he would ever go to the Araby market. The boy felt pressured to go because he had such strong feelings for the girl. He wanted her to be his escape from reality. Therefore, after begging his uncle and aunt to go to the Araby they allow him to go. Upon his arrival, he realized it was too late and he could not buy anything for her. He now realized that he wasted his time because of his own selfish desires. He wanted to get the girl he had his eyes on and impress her, but he realized that he actually just wasted his time for something that may not have been real.

    The short story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver demonstrates the insecurities that can be found within a relationship. The narrator tells a story about a close friend that the wife has. The close friend is a blind man that the wife once worked for, and the narrator seems to not be fond of how close the two are. Based on his description of the blind man and his wife, there is a small sense of insecurity of their bond. For example, "After a few minutes of harmless chitchat, I heard my own name in the mouth of this stranger, this blind man I didn't even know!" (Carver 159). He seemed insecure about the idea that his wife was talking about him to some blind stranger. This jealousy plays a role in his respect for the blind man as well. Prior to seeing the blind man, the wife makes a comment about how the blind man's wife died and the narrator insults the blind man's wife by asking, "Was his wife Negro?" (Carver 160). This disrespect changes when the narrator starts to interact with the blind man and learns that the blind man is not bad after all. He never makes it clear that the blind man is okay, but their interactions proved that some insecurities disappeared. This will likely make their relationship stronger than ever and the narrator will have more trust in his significant other.

    The final story in the section is titled, "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck. This story stresses communication and connection. The main character Elisa seems to be in need of a connection with someone. Throughout the story, Elisa meets a tinker who is looking for work in her flower garden because he needs money. During their interaction it can be seen that Elisa is interested in this man and is looking to make conversation while the man simply wants to work and get some money. For example, "You sleep right in the wagon?" (Steinbeck 882). She wants to make conversation while the man is working. However, in the next line it is also made clear that Elisa feels limited. She vents to the tinker because she wants to be more connected to him. As a result of her exchange with the tinker, she dresses very nice for a dinner with her husband. The tinker has made her more confident in her own skin and the husband notices the change but does not understand why. This change resulted in her husband wanting to go out to dinner more. He says, "I ought to take you in to dinner oftener. It would be good for both of us. We get so heavy out on the ranch" (Steinbeck 884). Her connection with the tinker made her relationship with her husband better. Their relationship seems stronger and they seem more connected at the end of the story. 

    Aside from sleeping with dead bodies, all of the ideas presented in each short story is very prevalent in today's society. Relationships can be a beautiful thing with the right tools. The conflict of abortion is a huge political issue and Hemingway describes the conversation between the couple in the perfect way. The boy is concerned about having the baby and wants an abortion while the girl is concerned on the relationship and wants reassurance that the boy would stay after the abortion. The insecurity that is described in "Cathedral" is also prevalent in today's society because many men find themselves questioning their own trust in their partner. Rather than getting to know someone or communicating, many men jump to conclusions and fear the worst from their significant other.