Relationships Between Characters in Short Stories

Relationships in “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, “Sleepy Time Gal” by Gary Gilner, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, and “The Rookers” by Bobbie Ann Mason

Relationships are something everyone can relate to. Good or bad, everyone has been involved in some type of relationship. The word relationship actually means a connection or association, but most people know that it is much more than that. To have positive relationships there must be an effort to spend time with someone and to communicate clearly. Security, trust, respect, and support are often the center of fruitful relationships. However, even strong, healthy relationships can go poorly. This is abundantly clear in some of the most famous short stories written. One can witness different types of relationships, their rise and often their fall, and learn from the way in which people treat one another. After all, it is in the end human kindness that means the most.

Each relationship involves a separate set of emotions and typically a short story will contain one particular connection that surpasses the rest and is connected to the overall theme of the piece. In “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, a married woman is home alone when she finds a former love interest on her porch asking for shelter from the storm. Her husband, Bobinot, and son are gone to the store to buy shrimp for Calixta while she engages in a lustful affair with the stranger. When her husband returns she acts as if nothing has happened and the stranger reacts the same to his wife. The reader sees that the marriage between Calixta and Bobinot seems strong, and yet she is engaging in this extra-marital affair with another man. Relationships are complex; they can be deceitful a...

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...r that Phoenix is not done yet and indeed, she will continue to make this trip for her grandson until her body gives out. Phoenix reflects on her grandson with great warmth and devotion to him.

Relationships in literature develop character and add depth. It is by relationships that themes are created and emotions evoked. The nature of relationships can be the single most important part of a narrative with some setting the entire tone and the most engrossing of all denouements. All of the aforementioned short stories involve comprehensively detailed characters that are immersed in multi-dimensional relationships that affect the central theme. Occasionally, a character will be an animal or other strong force in a story, but even then there must be some type of relationship between it and another person, animal, or force. Without relationships a story falls flat.