Therese's Price

I am infatuated with Therese and how she simply conducts her everyday life. I love her whimsical at times, serious at times, naïve at times, and bold at times personality. It is very odd to me, having only read so far, to read and analyze her and Richard’s relationship. Therese and Richard’s relationship reminds me of Franny and Lane’s relationship in JD Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. Both involve women not in love, at times annoyed, at times second-guessing themselves in their relationships. You can see as Therese goes from being almost repulsed by Richard at times to being almost seduced back to him, to just simply feeling sorry for him throughout the novel. Franny is much the same way. Both women seem quite strong in their relationships, seem to control most situations, but seem to hold this power because they do not necessarily truly care if the relationship succeeds or not. Both are not vulnerable in their relationships, except for Therese during sex, yet she cuts that vulnerability out of her relationship, solving her problem.
It is quite a contrast to see her in her relationship with Richard compared to how she is around Carol. It is like looking at two different characters. She is very much just present in her relationship with Richard. She does not care what they do, how their relationship works, or why she is a part of it. To her it is as if she and Richard are simply just there. They do nothing remarkably well together. They are not anything but an average couple with an average relationship. It is bland. It almost seems like this spark that Therese feels for Carol is the first real thing she has felt in awhile. If Carol had not come along she may have felt the same for an amazing job opportunity. She is basically just another character in her own monotonous life, so the appearance of Carol is like an awakening for Therese. Carol and being around Carol gives her a reason to wake up in the morning, to smile and laugh and dream. No matter what time of relationship she has or does not have with Carol, simply the presence of Carol transforms Therese and helps her progress not simply exist as she has been in the past at her job and with Richard.