The Relationships between Chemistry and the End of Somehting

The Relationships between Chemistry and the End of Somehting

In Chemistry and The End of Something we are told of different

relationships and how they get stronger or in some cases break. Both

authors use different literacy techniques that bring out the best and

worst of the relationships so that we the readers are succumbed to

each twist and turn that the characters themselves experience.

Both stories start with very descriptive language before starting to

explain the personality and relationships of each character. In

Chemistry by Graham Swift, the initial family consists of a mother, a

young boy and his grandpa. This is a very stable relationship in the

beginning considering how the fourth member, the father, died earlier

on. The boy is very happy with the relationship and enjoys the company

of just the three of them. In The End of Something, by Ernest

Hemingway, an American novelist, it is not just a family or people in

the relationship but it is a building. The Horton Bay Mill is loved by

everyone in the community and is close to everyone’s hearts. These

good times soon come to an end in both stories, not willingly, but

this is the case.

In Chemistry we learn how the end of one relationship and the start of

another can change an individual. The boy has always had a good

relationship with his mother and since the death of his father the

bond has grown stronger. He enjoys the solitude of just the three of

them now but it is the introduction of Ralph, his mother’s new love,

which brings a threat to the bond they have. The boy feels Ralph is

interference in their bond. When Ralph is around, he feels his mum

neglects him and his grandpa to keep Ralph happy. The young boy

watches Ralph carefully as he has perceptions that he could harm his

grandpa. He says he thinks Ralph is “Seizing grandpa by the throat and

choking him”. This is very suggestive of the boy’s concern for his

elder and it now seems that the break in his bond with his mother has