The Rest Of Her Life Analysis

Using the murder of Dee Ann’s mother as a means to intertwine the lives of the characters together, Steve Yarbrough examines the nature of relationships in “The Rest of Her Life.” The relationships in the story take a turn after Dee Ann’s mother is killed, with characters seeking to act more on their own, creating distance between many relationships throughout the story. Independent lifestyles prevent emotional bonds that hold relationships together from forming, thus preventing the characters from maintaining healthy relationships. The dysfunctional relationship present between Dee Ann and Chuckie in “The Rest of Her Life” is the result of the characters ' desire for self-gratification.

Their relationship was not always dysfunctional however,

In contrast, as seen with Dee Ann’s grandmother’s recollections of Dee Ann’s mother, raising her well from her birth results in a very emotional reaction to her death, crying with Dee Ann’s father on the couch (357). By focusing on the needs of her daughter, Dee Ann’s grandmother became emotionally attached to her mother’s well-being, having a connection to the way in which they have lived their life. Likewise, although their relationship was not healthy, Dee Ann’s mother’s addiction to her father’s actions resulted in a dependency that ultimately held their relationship together: “Her momma lived for these routines, she watched till watching killed her (370).” This dependency stems from her father satisfying her mom’s desire for these captivating acts, creating the emotional ties that held the marriage together, at least for some time. In both of these cases, the dependence on the other in the relationship resulted in a reason to maintain it, as their existence is contingent on the other person. In the case of Dee Ann and Chuckie however, their propensity to go out and enjoy themselves on their own suggests a lack of physical dependency on their spouse, weakening the bonds of need by satisfying a desire for company through other means. Chuckie for example, satisfies this desire by going out with friends for a drink, and Dee Ann immerses herself in digital entertainment such as TV or music (362). Their independence results in lacking the emotional attachment necessary to hold their relationship together, destroying the reciprocated love present in healthy