Comparing Holding Things Together and forty-five a month free essay sample

Both â€Å"Holding Things Together† by Anne Tyler and â€Å"forty-five a month† by R. K. Narayan are about the difficulties people face in maintaining close relationships. Venkat Rao, in â€Å"forty-five a month†, shows the greatest sense of responsibility towards a relationship. He works hard to earn very little money in order to provide for his wife and daughter. Lucy, in â€Å"Holding Things Together†, works to uphold her and her husband, Alfred’s, property without any help from him. Venkat Rao, from â€Å"forty-five a month†, regrets that he is unable to spend time with his family; especially his daughter Shanta. Due to his job, however, there is nothing he can do to remedy this because he needs the money in order to provide them with the necessities of life. Venkat Rao promises to take Shanta to the movies after work since he has not spent time with her in a long time. Shanta â€Å"insisted on wearing the thinnest frock and knickers, while her mother wanted to dress her in a long skirt and thick coat† (53) because she wanted to look her best for her father. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Holding Things Together and forty-five a month or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When his manager does not allow Venkat Rao to leave work on time to take Shanta to the movies, he is determined to quit, believing that [he wasn’t a slave who had sold himself for forty rupees† (55). When he goes to hand in his letter of resignation, however, his manager tells him that he will be getting a raise. Venkat Rao is distraught because he knows that this money will help his family, but he also knows that he will no longer have any time with his family. Lucy, from â€Å"Holding Things Together†, is resentful that she must complete all of the work around her and her husband’s house. She does not hold her husband in high esteem, believing that he is a â€Å"large, pale, tired-looking man going bald† (202). She despises the fact that Alfred was never taught how to â€Å"fix a leaky faucet† (202), â€Å"change the storm windows or put on tire chains† (202). She does not think highly of her relationship with her husband, and she complains constantly about how he does not help her with the work. When he does try to help, however, he does something wrong and she gets even angrier with him. Alfred feels as though â€Å"nothing [he does] will satisfy [her]† (212) because she â€Å"always [wants] everything perfect† (212). Lucy is so busy working around the house or complaining that Alfred will not help her, that she does not spend any time trying to mend her relationship with her husband. She acts annoyed and judgemental towards Alfred merely because he does not know how to help her. Both â€Å"Holding Things Together† and â€Å"forty-five a month† talk about the difficulties people face in maintaining close relationships. Venkat Rao, in â€Å"forty-five a month†, shows the greatest sense of responsibility towards a relationship because he is dedicated to his job in order to provide for his family. He feels awful that he is unable to spend time with his family, but he does what is best for them by continuing to work in order to bring enough money home. Lucy, in â€Å"Holding Things Together†, works to uphold her and her husband, Alfred’s, property without any help from him. She is bitter and angry that Alfred does not help her, yet also becomes angry when he does try to help her. She does not put time or effort into their relationship.