Expectations versus Reality in Richs Living in Sin :: Rich Living in Sin

Expectations versus Reality in Rich's Living in Sin Relationships end for a variety of reasons, the most common being that people enter relationships with certain expectations which, when unmet, start and fuel the domino effect which eventually leads to the end of the relationship. How one perceives a relationship is altered by various conditions such as age, experience, and personal background. Differentiating between what is real and what is imagined in a relationship is also tailored by these experiences in life. In her poem "Living In Sin," Adrienne Rich examines how one woman's perceptions of her physical environment, her motive for entering the relationship, and the tone of the relationship are altered when she differentiates between the relationship she expected and the relationship as it actually is. In her idealistic relationship, the speaker's physical environment is free of daily domestic responsibilities. There is no need to dust or wash the windows because, as she expects in her fantasy life, the studio will "keep itself." There are definitely no leaky or noisy faucets in need of repair. And in the dream relationship, there are no creeping insects, just a "picturesque" mouse found attractive by a cat. In actuality, however, the speaker's physical environment needs cleaning; she battles dust on the furniture and grime on the windows. A noisy, leaky faucet in the studio needs repair. She also spots an insect in the kitchen that acts as the representative from the "village" behind the moldings. Her dream world is infested, probably with roaches. The narrator's motive in the relationship was initially the romantic desire to live with the man she loves, but eventually her motive is simply to bear the routine and break the now boring nature of the actual relationship. She wanted in the beginning to escape from restrictive religious beliefs and live with her musician boyfriend in his studio. As the title suggests, the narrator believed the relationship was a sinful one. Living with her boyfriend implies a daring departure from behavior normally expected of her, either by herself, her parents, or society. Still, the light of each day reveals just how dull and routine her life has become. The stairs shake each morning at five o'clock with the arrival of the milkman; each day she has to make the bed, dust the furniture, and look out dirty windows while listening to the leaky faucet. Expectations versus Reality in Rich's Living in Sin :: Rich Living in Sin Expectations versus Reality in Rich's Living in Sin Relationships end for a variety of reasons, the most common being that people enter relationships with certain expectations which, when unmet, start and fuel the domino effect which eventually leads to the end of the relationship. How one perceives a relationship is altered by various conditions such as age, experience, and personal background. Differentiating between what is real and what is imagined in a relationship is also tailored by these experiences in life. In her poem "Living In Sin," Adrienne Rich examines how one woman's perceptions of her physical environment, her motive for entering the relationship, and the tone of the relationship are altered when she differentiates between the relationship she expected and the relationship as it actually is. In her idealistic relationship, the speaker's physical environment is free of daily domestic responsibilities. There is no need to dust or wash the windows because, as she expects in her fantasy life, the studio will "keep itself." There are definitely no leaky or noisy faucets in need of repair. And in the dream relationship, there are no creeping insects, just a "picturesque" mouse found attractive by a cat. In actuality, however, the speaker's physical environment needs cleaning; she battles dust on the furniture and grime on the windows. A noisy, leaky faucet in the studio needs repair. She also spots an insect in the kitchen that acts as the representative from the "village" behind the moldings. Her dream world is infested, probably with roaches. The narrator's motive in the relationship was initially the romantic desire to live with the man she loves, but eventually her motive is simply to bear the routine and break the now boring nature of the actual relationship. She wanted in the beginning to escape from restrictive religious beliefs and live with her musician boyfriend in his studio. As the title suggests, the narrator believed the relationship was a sinful one. Living with her boyfriend implies a daring departure from behavior normally expected of her, either by herself, her parents, or society. Still, the light of each day reveals just how dull and routine her life has become. The stairs shake each morning at five o'clock with the arrival of the milkman; each day she has to make the bed, dust the furniture, and look out dirty windows while listening to the leaky faucet.