Not Easily Broken

Summary:

Dave and Clarice Johnson is a professional couple who is struggling with their marriage. Clarice is an independent woman who was raised to be independent and to get things for her. Dave is a caring and loving man who feels inferior and unwanted by his wife and he begins to lose interest in their relationships. One evening when Clarice and Dave were running late for a function, in which Clarice was to receive an award, a drunken man hit the side of Dave’s truck causing Clarice’s leg to be broken in several places. This was the first day that Dave was able to feel like he was wanted and needed by his wife and it caused him much joy. Unfortunately, this feeling did not last long because she soon realized that she will be unable to walk for several months. She immediately went into an independent mode and asked the doctor to begin the procedure to insert a metal plate into her leg. Although Clarice was beginning to shut down, the relationship between her and her husband was getting a little stronger because he was caring for her and treating her like a princess. The doctors asked him to immediately start looking for a physical therapist and that is exactly what he did.

Quotation:

" I'm not saying you shouldn't do all you can, baby. I'm just saying that sometimes you got to let other people help, for a change." "Why? So you can feel important?"(Jakes 35)

Reflection:

This quotation demonstrates the relationship between Clarice and David. This quote shows the way in which their marriage is failing. During the time of an injury, you would expect that someone may want to be vulnerable or want someone to care for them but in Clarice’s case she wClarice excludes Dave from her. She refuses to be vulnerable and that is the reason whyants the complete opposite. I think that the only way that Clarice and Dave will be able to fix their marriage is if Clarice can expose her true feeling to Dave and if Dave can respect the shyness that Clarice hides behind.