Healthy Relationships In Romeo And Juliet

Healthy relationships consist of many different aspects such as open communication, honesty, trust, commitment, and mutual respect. In order for relationships to thrive, each partner must express these characteristics. Although to some it may seem like the bare minimum to treat your partner with these aspects, not every relationship consists of these qualities. In Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places, Finch and Violet do not always express these traits. Due to the fact that both characters have their own struggles, they are not able to experience a truly healthy relationship. Whereas in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, despite the fact that Romeo and Juliet are new acquaintances, they already exhibit these aspects of a healthy relationship.

Some readers believe that since Romeo and Juliet just met and are immature children, they can not have a healthy relationship. Romeo and Juliet met just hours before exchanging vows. For many, this is seen as immature because they do not tell their parents nor do they take the time to think through their decisions. Although this is true, Romeo and Juliet do show maturity when they first

Although they just met, they are already discussing their religion. Religion is often seen as a mature and controversial topic. Hence Romeo and Juliet focusing their conversation on religion emphasize their maturity for their age. With maturity comes respect for your partner. Finch and Violet do not always respect each other as mature couples should; however, some readers disagree. When Finch and Violet first meet in the bell tower, they saved each other. They both talked each other down from jumping and saved each other’s lives: “I am weightless and free. Nothing and no one to fear, not even myself. Then a voice from behind me says, ‘I want you to hold on to the rail, and once you’ve got it, lean against it and lift your right foot up and over.’” (Niven, pg 9). Even though Finch and Violet show respect in this moment, they were not yet in a relationship. It is common decency to respect people whom you do not know. Therefore, this moment does not support Finch and Violet having respect in their relationship. Finch showed respect at this moment, but when they were in an actual relationship, Finch lacked respect for Violet. Shortly after Finch got expelled from school, he asked Violet to run away with her to Kentucky; Instead of being considerate of Violet's circumstances, he freaks out when Violet suggests another day to go to Kentucky: “‘I got