David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (1849); Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood (1988); Juno - Jason Reitman (2007) - Difficulties in friendship and love relationships

Extract

[...] However, it seems that their relationship is not balanced: Dora behaves childishly and fears her husband's reactions ( "My poor Little wife was in such affliction when she thought I should be annoyed") while David congratulates, encourages and reassures her. Their relationship follows a daughter-to-father pattern: Dora encourages David to think of her as his "child-wife" to remind him that she could not manage a house and seeks from him the comfort of her recently passed-away father. David symbolically replaces Mr.Spenlows's place as Dora's caretaker. It appears clearly that Dora is not David's perfect match unlike Agnes who had the same hard life as him. Cat's Eye: What do these two extracts show about Elaine's relationship with her friends? [...]

[...] David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (1849); Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood (1988); Juno - Jason Reitman (2007) - Difficulties in friendship and love relationships David Copperfield, chapiter 44: What does this passage show about the relationship between David and Dora? This passage is an extract from the novel David Coperfield by Charles Dickens, at the time David Coperfield was married to Dora Spenlow. David felt completely in love with Dora, and they decided to get married. However, their relationship is not reasonable because Dora has no sense of everyday practical affairs. [...]

[...] She is obviously apprehensive because it is a big decision for any woman, especially for someone her age. We see the dichotomy between the seriousness of her situation (her pregnancy) and her age through the decoration of her bedroom, which is made of posters and a burger-shaped phone. Additionally, she is concerned of making the wrong decision. She is torn between keeping the baby and getting aborted, which explains her apprehensive look on this picture. This feeling will be strengthened further in the movie when she goes to the clinic and faces the pro-life propaganda. [...]

[...] The relationship between Juno and David and Juno and Mark and Vanessa are not balanced either. Finally, each story tackles the theme of conflict within a relationship. A conflict can oppose different persons (Elaine and her friends, Juno and David) or someone with his conscience (Juno). Besides, conflicts are not always physical but can be psychological as it is the case for Elaine and Juno. Psychological conflicts and violence are the most difficult to solve and that's why, the most pernicious. [...]

[...] Yet, Elaine tries to persuade herself that their bullying is for her own good. Indeed, she finds them excuses. For instance, she convinced herself that when she was put in the hole was only game" and that they did not speak to her for her "own good" so that she can "improve" herself. She accepts these humiliations because they are her "best friends" and she wants to be part of this group. Despite her naiveness, Elaine questions the soundness of this friendship. [...]