Taking the Next Step

I don’t sympathize with Therese in this novel, and there are a number of instances that I find that she needs to mature and stand up for herself. There are a number of times that she talks about wanting to end her life over something silly, like when she thought she wouldn’t be able to spend the evening with Carol. She said she would do something violent like jumping off of a bridge. She often has these over exaggerated thoughts where she does something extreme, but then when it comes to making a decision with her life she is constantly holding back. She is unable to put her foot down and tell Richard how she really feels about him, which is that she doesn’t want to be with him at all. She is able to acknowledge that she doesn’t want the boring married life that some of their friends have, but she isn’t able to take the next step and tell that to Richard.

This is seen again with her interactions with Carol. She is unable to express to Carol what she really wants from her. She has all of these extreme thoughts in her head about what she wants, and she even writes out her feelings for Carol, but doesn’t have the guts to follow through on any of her thoughts. It is frustrating to see that Therese has these thoughts, but does not do anything about them.

I find her interactions with Richard most frustrating because she knows exactly how he feels about her, but she doesn’t do anything to let Richard know that she will never have those feelings. I imagine that Richard knows this deep down, but he still feels like he has a slim chance, and she allows that to continue. She needs to put her foot down and stand up for herself with her relationships. She is moving forward with her life in her career since she finished one job and is setting up interviews for others, but she is unable to move forward with her relationships. She knows exactly what she wants, but she doesn’t do anything to act on her feelings. I hope that by the end of the novel Therese is able to stand up for herself and say what she actually wants with her relationships.