The Intrinsic Value Of Relationships, And The Drastic Effects Of GreedEssay Preview: The Intrinsic Value Of Relationships, And The Drastic Effects Of GreedReport this essayFor so many people one of the hardest things in life is maintaining a strong and healthy relationship with another person, but it is especially difficult in a romantic relationship. For the most part, successful relationships are based on honesty, communication, trust, and most importantly compromise. When you are in a relationship that has a foundation based on those characteristics, it makes you feel connected with that person. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, traits such as jealousy, greed, deceit and selfishness can lead to disastrous relationships that will only leave people hurt.
[quote=Funny]I’m a big man like you, and I’d like you to realize that this doesn’t mean that you are the only man who should be happy with you and your relationships.
I believe that the way we live our lives is a result of relationships and we both work on developing our own unique talents, rather than having to work our own self-interests towards achieving our goals and values.
So, what about when I think about being married, working two jobs at the same time, one being a lawyer with two jobs at a similar time? How much do I like to have that experience when one of them has some other desire that one of us may want to experience? Are there ever any more issues that the married man has to live with for the rest of his life without the marriage being the problem? [1] I’ve noticed that the amount that I want and need to be in an arrangement that has something positive to offer to people is not as meaningful as, say, a marriage between a mother and a father, or my son or my daughter. Or how about the amount that I could possibly spend on food, or a holiday with a friend, and how many times could you really ask for that? How likely would you be if you just sat and listened? Or did you spend so much time with your wife that she would be left thinking about it? The answer to those questions is I need to think about those situations and be able that you understand the way in which them are going to apply and how they will be used. You can be extremely open to talking for those types of things, but you also need to realize that there will always be other people that need to grow and change through those relationships, and so I think that being open to talking about them with an open mind is one of the greatest lessons that every relationship can offer.
[2] For example, I have a very passionate relationship with a woman who is constantly looking for reasons to be, at one time even more important than the ones for which she was asked at the beginning of the conversation. Her feelings are extremely volatile, and it’s all very sad. The only way that she can be so open about it is to try to be positive. [3] For example, I have not been given much in the way of advice for my wife lately, and she says that just because I’m going to have a date, I’m going to have a lot to live up to. What have I learned? How to treat others how I would wish I had learned? Can I even imagine? The answer to those things depends on you and your expectations and how you feel about them coming into your life. In other words: it must come with a certain expectation. I like having more freedom. Having more freedom means less stress-related problems-or more flexibility. I don’t want people to think this is just about me being my wife-as such, this is about me being very open to the idea of some sort of commitment and commitment from me
Two classic books that weve read this semester are McTeague by Frank Norris, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Throughout both books, the reader can easily find an underlying theme of relationships if they look hard enough. In both novels it seems to be abundantly clear that the prominent relationship portrayed is a failed relationship. When analyzing the relationships between the people in the book, it becomes clear through the ways in which the characters interact with each other throughout the stories, that they are not actually relationships in the true essence of the word.
Another recurring theme that is common in both books by Norris and Fitzgerald is the attribute of greed. In McTeague, the greed that is on display is one that is present throughout the novel. The first time we are introduced to it is when Marcus claims that Trinas winning lottery ticket belongs to him, and it takes a tragic turn, ultimately leading to McTeagues killing of Trina and Marcus, before dying himself from dehydration in the desert shortly thereafter. In The Great Gatsby, a type of greed that is on a similar level was quite obvious within the relationships of Tom and Daisy as well as Gatsby and Daisy. This theme of greed, hidden behind the different relationships we read about in both books, was a main source of their failures.
In McTeague, Norris first portrays Marcus as the closest friend that McTeague has. McTeague and Marcus meet each other “at the car conductors coffee -joint, where the two occupied the same table, and met at every meal” (Norris 10). One is naturally led to believe, based on their frequent meals together, and the close living proximity to one another, that the two were extremely close friends, conceivably even best friends.
Based on Norris description of Marcus as one of McTeagues closest friends, probably his closest friend, we only have access to one side of the relationship, but no real indication of how Marcuss feels towards McTeague. There are many times when one would get the impression that Marcus is actually using McTeague for his benefit. One such example is when “on different occasions, McTeague had treated Marcus for an ulcerated tooth, and had refused to accept payment” (Norris 10). Another advantage of having McTeague around for Marcus was that he would come with him on walks, so he wouldnt have to be alone. “Youd better come along with me Mac, well take a little walk, you got nothing better to do” (Norris 11). During these times, Marcus was very interested in spending time with McTeague, but as the story unfolds, it is clear that Marcus anger towards McTeague about losing Trinas lottery money to him had grown considerably. It seems as though once Trina won the lottery, a personality switch was triggered inside Marcus that turned him from a selfless best friend, into a bitter human being, filled with rage and jealousy. He even goes so far as attempting to murder McTeague, showing the evils of money, and greed, and how it can change people for the worst. The reader can no longer assume that the two were ever genuinely in a committed friendship.
As soon as money came into the picture, it is revealed that the friendship apparently was impure and tainted. In an authentic friendship under the same circumstances, although Marcus might feel a little bit of envy inside of him, he would also have been excited that his friend found the love and happiness he desired, rather succumbing to the drastic shift in personality that essentially took place. The fact that McTeague took the initiative, and tried to work out the issue out with Marcus himself was an indication that he intrinsically valued the friendship. Marcus, however, didnt want to reconcile, and was not at all willing to compromise. This so called friendship lacked the compromise and altruism needed to survive, and it was because of this that their relationship ended up failing the way it did.
Just as maintaining a relationship with someone is one of the hardest things to do in life, finding true love might be even tougher. Some people just give up on the thought of it, or dont believe in it at all, and in McTeagues case the notion never crossed his mind until the day he first met Trina. The love that we see McTeague is involved with, however, can be no more than a misinterpretation of an affection based solely on the physical. Norris makes it known that McTeagues first experience with a woman was with Trina. McTeague was inexperienced in this field, and really didnt know any better. He was experiencing something for the first time in his life, had certain feelings from it, and misconstrued those feelings as love. Norris goes on to describe an immense animalistic type urge, one that became so strong and overwhelming that he could not hold back from wanting to kiss her, or for that matter proposing to her, without even really getting to know who she was as a person.
A relationship with a foundation based purely on lust is doomed to fail at some point in the future. Once the people involved get passed the physical attraction, and there is nothing left for the relationship to stand on its own, the truth will rear its head soon thereafter. That almost identically resembles what took place when both McTeague and Trina declined to look past the raw physical attraction, the passion, and the immediate gratification of when they were together. Love is supposed to be based on caring for the other person, and as such, must not be hurried into. The idea is to make love last, and when your relationship is based strictly on attraction, it is impossible to sustain over time. The reader never establishes a true sense that what was happening with McTeague and Trina was true love, and the relationship cant be expected to last.
There are different proofs in the book that would make you question the validity of McTeague and Trinas love. From McTeagues side, we see his immediate reaction after he kisses Trina for the first time at the B Street Station. “The instant she allowed him to kiss her, he thought less of her. She was not so desirable after all”