Relationship Between Lucy Grealy And Ann Patchett

Friendships are one of the aspects in someone’s life that brings joy, stability, and happiness as well as sadness, worrying concern, and tragedy. Both sides of a relationship between friends are what make a friendship stronger. The good times allow for a stronger bond whereas the bad times allow for people to see that they care about each other more than what triggered the temporary strain in their relationship. The book Truth and Beauty: A Friendship, written by Ann Patchett, discusses the triumphs and tragedies of a friendship throughout life between the two women, Lucy Grealy and Ann Patchett herself. Throughout the book, Patchett describes her friendship with Lucy over the years and how it ebbed and flowed. Patchett ends the book with the

It states that it is impossible to comprehend and understand what is happening in the moment, but only when the moment is history and it is possible to look back and reflect will the realization come into focus (218). In the moment, Patchett could not see that she was making a mistake in believing that her friend was immune to death. It was only after she found out that her best friend had passed away that she finally realized that Lucy was not immune and had only been extremely lucky throughout her life. When Patchett reflects on her friendship with Lucy, she sees how alone and fragile Lucy really was while she was still alive. Patchett is deeply hurt by the loss of her friend because she had come to believe that she could never lose Lucy and that Lucy would always be around, so the unexpected loss of Lucy caught Patchett off guard. Patchett even states that “the sheer force of Lucy’s life convinced [Patchett] that she would live no matter what” (257). Patchett grew accustomed to Lucy going through a continuous wave of ups and downs in physical, social, and emotional health. She always expected that the wave which was Luy’s life would rise back up whenever Lucy went spiraling downward. Her contentment with Lucy’s frequent ups and downs allowed for Patchett to hold on to the belief that Lucy would get through whatever trial she was facing, but unfortunately, Lucy finally was not strong enough to fight her relationship with death, and Patchett realized this too late. This was Patchett’s ultimate mistake throughout her friendship with Lucy: She believed Lucy could only