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The Influence Of Communication In 'Like A House On Fire'

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Cate Kenneyd’s 2012 short story novel displays that effective communication can lead to healthy relationships that grow over time through their hardships, allowing us to have new perspectives on the world and others around us. In her collection of short stories Like A House on Fire, Cate Kennedy explores the varying degrees of communication in relationships and the consequences of limited dialogue. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Australia, where life is in a constant state of change, Kennedy reveals the significance of interactions within a relationship to overcome hardship and misunderstanding. However, for some protagonists, communication can be challenging and reluctant. Thus, Kennedy contrasts the impacts of neglecting interactions …show more content…

Christine from “Tender” sees her husband Al as a laid-back person and he is almost like ”a third child” for Christine as he is not the best at taking care of the children “Why doesn’t Al do something to intervene” and carefree “dreamy way he handles life”. Al is relaxed while Christine is constantly stressed which causes a bit of commotion in their relationship as there is little communication with their true feelings. Christine noticing that her husband is childish and unorganised through their difficulties of non-communication makes her see that she is an organised person that needs perfection I started to realise my characteristics as I would compare myself to my sister. I am humorous, caring, creative and spontaneous whereas my sister is more planned, organised, and goal determined, I would see these characteristics in her when fighting to see her true values. The different levels of communication are demonstrated in Like A House on Fire where some individuals are unable to interact with others. Yet, other individuals highlight that communication can be beneficial and crucial when overcoming difficulties. However, there are times when individuals do not realise the importance of communication in the present moment and they need time to come to the realisation of the significance of interactions. However, Kennedy also shows within Christine's husband's words that he will always love her no matter what happens, which allows Christine to believe that theirs hope for their marriage. ‘I’m sure everything will work out fine’ the powerful words from Al allows Christine to realise that she’s not in it alone. This reflects on my life and is very significant for me because my parents would try to help me in any way possible whenever I felt as if no one was ever there for me in the difficult times

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