Relationships in Little Women and Cats in the Cradle

Relationships can be positive or negative. Varied perceptions define the nature of relationships as positive or negative. The effects of positive and negative relationships have lasting consequences on individuals; having both a positive and negative aspect in each relationship assists humankind but negative relationships is the build up of decisions and actions that have negative impacts. Loyalty is one of the fundamental traits that are present in a positive relationship.

However, little loyalty can lead to deterioration in a person’s quality of life, happiness and connection with the people involved in that relationship. The relationships in ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott and ‘Cats in the Cradle’ by Harry Chapin shows many different views of positive and negative relationships. Positive and negative relationships are defined by varied perceptions of the characters. Having both a positive and negative aspect in each relationship assists humankind to develop, learn, be happy and survive.

Positive relationships are evident in ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott as well as negative relationships throughout the March family – this shows that they are not a perfect family and even though Little Women is set in the 1860’s, families today can relate to the relationship shown between the March family, especially the relationship Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth have with each other. They fight, love, care and help each other and through tough times, they always forgive each other.

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Here is a quote from ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, “My dear, don’t let the sun go down upon your anger; forgive each other, help each other, and begin again to-morrow. ” – Marmee to Jo, Chapter 8, Page 76. This quote shows endearment, “My dear,” demonstrates the positive relationship that Mrs March has with Jo and the love that they share for each other. This quote simply implies that we should not let our fury or hatred live on even during our slumber.

As much as possible, we must resolve our problems and reconcile. We should build each other in trust rather than destroy each other to strengthen bonds whether it may be in filial, romantic, or friendly relationships. Positive and negative relationships are defined by varied perceptions of the characters. Relationships can be negative at times and if these negative relationships are not resolved, it can impact all individuals involved for a long period of time.

Negative relationships do not necessarily occur because of one poor influential mistake – it is the build up of decisions and actions that can have a negative impact and create a negative relationship between the interactions of two people. An example of a negative relationship is evident in ‘Cats in the Cradle’ by Harry Chapin between the father and his son. Here is a quote from ‘Cats in the Cradle’ by Harry Chapin, “And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me, my boy was just like me. ” This quote shows irony.

It is ironic that the son becomes like his father, in a different way than expected. It was expected that the son would want to be like the father in a career sense and this demonstrates the negative relationship that the father has with his son – not in a sense that they despise each other but putting off seeing and talking to each other creates a negative impacts throughout their relationship. Positive and negative relationships are defined by varied perceptions of the characters. Loyalty is one of the fundamental traits that are present in a positive relationship.

Without loyalty doubts of trust and lack of respect begin to come to the fore and relationships begin to crumble. Within the relationship of Mr and Mrs March, loyalty is the most important factor of the relationship. Here is a quote from ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, "That is the secret of our home happiness. He does not let business wean him from the little cares and duties that affect us all, and I try not to let domestic worries destroy my interest in his pursuits. Each do our part alone in many things, but at home we work together, always. – Marmee to Meg, Chapter 38, Page 392. This quote shows a back-story of Mr and Mrs March’s life – that they were not always like this and had the same problems that Meg has starting out married life, especially with children. This adds meaning to their current circumstances and if they did not find a way to work together and be together as much as possible, problems would have occurred but because of the above quote, Mr and Mrs March show loyalty to each other and create a positive relationships not only for themselves but also for others around them.

Mrs. March suggests that the domestic sphere is a joint effort – husband and wife work together to create a home, instead of every aspect of it being the wife's responsibility. Positive and negative relationships are defined by varied perceptions of the characters. Within every relationship some form of loyalty will be present that contributes to the positive relationship. However, little loyalty can lead to deterioration in a person’s quality of life, happiness and connection with the people involved in that relationship. Cats in the Cradle’ introduces the subject matter indicating the troublesome relationship shared between father and son, “My child arrived just the other day, he came to the world in the usual way. ” The quote is a metaphor for the birth of his son. It is an emotionless way to describe the birth of his son. This metaphor gives an initial indication of an absent relationship between the father and son. It is clear that although the father provides the necessities for the child, his career driven lifestyle restrains him from spending quality time with his son.

Positive and negative relationships are defined by varied perceptions of the characters. To sum up, varied perceptions define the nature of relationships as positive or negative. Mention topic sentences. The relationships in ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott and ‘Cats in the Cradle’ by Harry Chapin shows many different views of positive and negative relationships. The statement, relationships can be positive or negative, is true but positive and negative relationships coexist.

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