Catabolic Relationships

As seen in many stories throughout history, love and relationships have perpetually been complicated. The themes of tragic sacrifices in the relationships of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, and Layla and Majnun are continued in modern literature. Sacrifice is a theme that has, and forever will be prevalent in literature because it is an admirable deed, yet requires a perfect balance. Careful analysis of the relationships in the post-modern short stories Coda by Will Boast, How We Handle Pain by Evan James Roskos, and Okeechobee by Claudia Zuluaga, produces a rich understanding of the universal truth that relationships require not just sacrifice, but harmonious immolation.

When introduced in Will Boast’s short story, Coda, Tim and Kate’s relationship has already failed. The couple dated for years and got engaged, but eventually called off the engagement. As the story progresses, Tim reflects on both the merit of the relationship and the cause of its failure. After breaking into Kate’s apartment, Tim searches for and finds his old engagement ring. He gazes at the gold symbol of unending love, and then sees a picture of him and Kate beside it. “I was looking straight into the camera, but Kate was turned to me with a shy smile on her face. My favorite picture of her. You could see she was in love” (Boast 4). Even after six months of separation, Tim thirsts for his lost love. Though he recognizes the chaotic, uncooperative environment, in which the relationship was nourished. Kate is a lawyer and Tim is a musician, leading them to live, “disjointed lives, but for a long time that didn’t matter. Kate would leave the apartment at seven every morning, eager to make an impression at her new practice. At noo...

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...ely needed to accept her actions and participate in sacrifice by giving back.

Indeed, love is often described as sacrifice, but a more fitting definition is unmistakably, a balance of sacrifice. In these short stories, the common failure of a relationship, due to the lack of sacrifice, the common unhappiness, as a result of too much (or undesired) sacrifice, and the common unworthy attitude and refusal to sacrifice, are all exemplified. In a relationship, the idea is that two become one -thus, requiring some surrender- but the two must not forget their former identities. Truly, for a successful relationship, sacrificial equilibrium must be found; for at equilibrium, the reactants and the product are able to coexist. Each person must give up parts of their former self for the relationship to properly function, but one’s own identity must not be completely forgone.