Relationships Between John And Liam In The Painted Door

Relationships are more than just being with someone, “I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it’s not, it’s to end up with people who make you feel alone” (Robin Williams) . Relationships can be the most amazing thing in the world, they can change a person to be better, but they can also change a person into something they are not and that can never be foreseen. The relationships between John and Ann in the short story “The Painted Door”, by Sinclair Ross, and Gabriella and Liam in the short story “Bluffing”, by Gail Helgason, are both unsuccessful, which leads them to unravel. It is nearly impossible for a relationship to be perfect, but there are some important aspects that a relationship should have in order for …show more content…
For a healthy relationship to continue to thrive, it is crucial to have strong communication. Unfortunately, Liam and Gabriella’s communication is quite poor and neither of them express their feelings well. Gabriella struggles with communicating to Liam about how she feels about their relationship and where it is going. She wants to take a major step in their relationship by signing a lease for a house, but she fails to mention this to Liam. So when Liam expresses interest in going down south with his friend Clive for the winter, instead of explaining her plans to move in, Gabriella “[ grabs] for her pack and push[es] herself off the rock....” (Helgason 4). Gabriella should've communicated with Liam to tell him that she wants him to stay for the winter. Due to her sudden outburst, Liam chases after her and runs directly into the path of a bear. Even after Liam is attacked by the bear, Gabriella continues to withhold her feelings from him. While they are in the hospital, Gabriella feels she cannot fake being happy anymore and …show more content…
In “Bluffing”, Liam is selfish without really recognizing how his actions are affecting Gabriella. Liam doesn’t see how going down South with Clive is unfair to Gabriella. He is only concerned with himself and doesn’t consider she has a life in Jasper. Liam also never gave her a say in the decision, but decides to spring it on her before she gets a chance to ask him to sign the lease. Having one person who only thinks of themselves for the long run can make it difficult to want to keep trying. Gabriella has to put up with Liam's selfishness in all different forms. He may of sprung going down south on her, but while on their hike he convinced the other hikers to turn back, so he could surprise her. To an extent, Liam being selfish was in the best interest of their relationship. On the other hand, in “The Painted Door”, Ann is extremely selfish to John, with no intentions of helping their relationship. Throughout the whole story, Ann displays selfish acts to her husband. John is uneducated and boring, but he has the right objective in mind. He is very selfless with his wife and when taking care of his father. But Ann doesn’t see him that way she sees it as, “it isn’t right to leave me here alone. Surely I’m as important as your father”(Ross