Relationships are what make up the world today. They shape the way things are perceived and the way that things are done, thus relationships are the building blocks that are needed to create a better world. Ann and John from the short story “The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross, display more qualities of a healthy relationship than those of Liam and Gabriella from the short story “Bluffing” by Gail Helgason by exhibiting understanding, truthfulness and communication. Everyone strives for a better world, but not many realise how to reach this goal because there is no set way to do this. The building blocks of what make up our world today, relationships, are like buildings. Some of the buildings are properly made and sturdy, however some are faulty …show more content…
Each partner must be transparent in their means of communication to support themselves in having a healthy and robust relationship. Ann's means of communication are very blatant and straightforward; this is portrayed when she says “Pay no attention to me. Seven years a farmer's wife—it’s time I was used to staying [home] alone”(Ross, 226). This quote directly shows the lack of censorship between them. This kind of censorship is a benefit to the way they communicate because what one person thinks is directly conveyed to the others half. “Plenty to eat—plenty of wood to keep me warm—what more could a women ask for” (288). This quote highlights the inevitability that Ann wants more from her husband, but he does not realize it. She clearly feels very alienated and alone. This is displayed when John mentions their neighbour Steven, “Ann glanced up sharply then busied herself clearing the table” (289). This should have been a sign to John of Ann’s infatuation with Steven by showing how much Ann wants more out of life than John has been giving her, and for her feelings of loneliness to vanish. Despite the fact that the only thing that Ann likes to tell John is how unhappy she is with his lack of companionship, Ann communicates more than both Gabriella and Liam combined. Benjamin Franklin once said,“Honesty is the best policy”. This quote would clearly help Gabriella and Liam in …show more content…
John and Ann are able to portray their ability to stay true to each other through the ways that they communicate and behave. A prime example that exemplifies the fact that John was being honest was when he stated to Ann that no matter what, he would make it home through the blizzard. After Ann had had her affair with Steven, she was finally true to herself and realized that she had made a terrible mistake and“ would try [her hardest] and [hopefully] make amends”(Ross 243) with her husband. Before her and Steven slept together she felt alienated and put off by John as he was trying to work to buy her nice things, especially clothes, even though the thing that she desires most is to have someone by her side. However after she slept with him “she knew [that] John was the man [for her]”(243) and that he is who she would like to grow old with. John and Ann are able to stay truthful to each other, however Liam and Gabriella have trouble with the task. This is displayed when Gabriella proposed the idea of a hike as she made it seem as if she was taking him on it for another reason. She wanted to finally have an opportunity to talk to Liam about the lease in private, so “she’d called it one last outing before [this year's] snow comes’”(Helgason 1). She wanted to show him that he doesn't need to go down south with Clive