Relationships in stories

We do things as part of a group. We have relationships with people in many ways. We may see someone in a local shop several times a week for years yet never know their name. We may meet a stranger on a plane and hear their whole life story, yet never see them again. We may meet past lovers in the street and not recognise them. We may see a stranger in the street and remember their face for years. The nature of our relationships is the basis of our life.

Here are the most common relationships:

In some ways our relationships are changing all the time. We get nearer or further from people for all sorts of reasons. We find help from people we least suspected, and find those we trust are sometimes not what they seemed. Our efforts to form stable relationships are a driving force in our lives. We want to be loved, respected, known, and sometimes even feared by others. Relationships are very complex, and almost never what they seem to be. Here are a few variations on the 'Man loves woman' theme:

It would be easy to think up more variations. The term 'happy ever after' is strictly for fairy tales. The key point in examining relationships is to see what point they serve.

People form relationships because they are lonely, because they are bored, because they are attracted to someone, because they feel someone can be of use to them, because they have no choice.

People who move around a lot may find it easy to make relationships quickly, and not be upset when the relationship ends. Other people invest a lot more of themselves in relationships, and expect it to be returned. Some relationships will stand the test of time and strain, while others will crash for trivial reasons. Good friends may split over love, money, or beliefs. Good friends may be found who share trivial interests.

The reasons for friendship are not always stated in stories, but are implicitly there. Sherlock Holmes needs Watson to admire him when he makes his deductions. Bugs Bunny will talk to the audience from time to time to share his thoughts. A relationship of some form or other, even as enemies, serves the purpose of acknowledging us. Sherlock Holmes' life was partly dependent on having Dr. Moriarty as a good enemy, and in other circumstances they might well have been friends.

		List six people you know, and the type of friendship you have with them.

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