Independant: free from outside control; not depending on another 's authority - not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence. In my life experience independance was always a desirable quality to strive for and also one that I would consider myself to possess. Parents praise their children for learning to be independent, teachers praise their students for thinking independently, and men generally find independence as being an attractive quality in women. This word has always had a positive connotation to me, so then being dependance, the word’s counterpart, must possess a negative connotation. You should not be too dependant on anyone during any stage in your life, relationships, schooling, or work. Being able to provide for yourself
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Characters Henry Skrimshander, Guert Affenlight, and Pella Affenlight not only encounter the issue of dependency in their relationships, but they also are faced to deal with the level of control that they have over their own situations. This degree of control varies between the characters based on their level of awareness regarding their own dependency. Henry, unlike the other two characters, has to deal with this issue in a platonic relationship with the character Mike Schwartz. Mike, in addition to his relation with Henry, is also involved in a romantic relationship with Pella Affenlight. The last connection is the relationship between Guert Affenlight, Pella’s father, and Owen Dunne, the roommate of Henry. What will be discussed throughout this paper is the connotation of dependency within relationships, whether or not that stigma of the term should be changed, and if the awareness of one’s own dependency gives them more or less control over their …show more content…
Unlike Pella, his daughter, Guert is seemingly more open, to himself, about the notion of putting happiness before pride, independence, and freedom. “He needed Owen, but Owen --- being himself whole, or never farther than one well-rolled joint from whole --- would never need him” (276). Not only does this quote reiterate Guert’s open dependency on Owen, but it also displays his understanding of their relationship beyond just his role. He understands that Owen is young and has a lot more life ahead of him and even with that knowledge Guert still chooses to be dependent on Owen for his own happiness. Guert’s mentality seems to be similar to Henry’s in the sense that he would rather be happy and unfree than independent and unsatisfied, but he also shares Pella’s high level of awareness of the situation he has put himself in. One could argue that Guert has a better sense of his situation than Pella does because, once the connection between Owen and Guert is formed, there seems to be no hesitation or debate about choosing liberty over happiness. This could be due to fact that Guert knows that he does not have as much time ahead of him as his partner Owen. In Guert’s eyes he has nothing to lose but the happiness that Owen brings him, so why would not he be fully into the relationship? Guert is a classic example of how one can turn the connotation of the
Characters Henry Skrimshander, Guert Affenlight, and Pella Affenlight not only encounter the issue of dependency in their relationships, but they also are faced to deal with the level of control that they have over their own situations. This degree of control varies between the characters based on their level of awareness regarding their own dependency. Henry, unlike the other two characters, has to deal with this issue in a platonic relationship with the character Mike Schwartz. Mike, in addition to his relation with Henry, is also involved in a romantic relationship with Pella Affenlight. The last connection is the relationship between Guert Affenlight, Pella’s father, and Owen Dunne, the roommate of Henry. What will be discussed throughout this paper is the connotation of dependency within relationships, whether or not that stigma of the term should be changed, and if the awareness of one’s own dependency gives them more or less control over their …show more content…
Unlike Pella, his daughter, Guert is seemingly more open, to himself, about the notion of putting happiness before pride, independence, and freedom. “He needed Owen, but Owen --- being himself whole, or never farther than one well-rolled joint from whole --- would never need him” (276). Not only does this quote reiterate Guert’s open dependency on Owen, but it also displays his understanding of their relationship beyond just his role. He understands that Owen is young and has a lot more life ahead of him and even with that knowledge Guert still chooses to be dependent on Owen for his own happiness. Guert’s mentality seems to be similar to Henry’s in the sense that he would rather be happy and unfree than independent and unsatisfied, but he also shares Pella’s high level of awareness of the situation he has put himself in. One could argue that Guert has a better sense of his situation than Pella does because, once the connection between Owen and Guert is formed, there seems to be no hesitation or debate about choosing liberty over happiness. This could be due to fact that Guert knows that he does not have as much time ahead of him as his partner Owen. In Guert’s eyes he has nothing to lose but the happiness that Owen brings him, so why would not he be fully into the relationship? Guert is a classic example of how one can turn the connotation of the