In Marilynne Robinson's novel Housekeeping, two sisters are drawn together and kept together through traumatic changes in their caregivers. They appreciate the reliability and mutual benefit offered by each other. In David Guterson's The Other, two “blood brothers” unite over shared interests and losses. They think two lonely people are better than one. However, either way, the couple fails to stand the test of time. Similar beginnings lead to disjointed conclusions, with one member of each couple drifting apart, into transience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayRuth and Lucille in Robinson's fiction have hard lives, and conflict often tends to bring people together. Following the premature death of their mother, the two girls routinely went from caregiver to caregiver, neither of whom met their needs. Without a reliable family life to offer support, this couple is driven to seek comfort and companionship exclusively in each other. As girls' bonds with the outside world weaken, their dependence on each other must grow stronger. Initially, as they stroll through their small town of Fingerbone, where it is “[their] custom to prowl at the dawn of every significant day,” they observe their surroundings and form opinions as if they were a person (Robinson 49). These two interpret their experiences as a strongly bonded unit rather than as two individuals. With such a deep bond, it's strange that Ruth and Lucille end up aspiring to almost opposite paths: Ruth leads the stray life of a transient while Lucille pursues conformity with her new middle school acquaintances. When did these two start drifting apart? Does this separation happen gradually or all at once? The same uncertainty exists in the relationship between John William and Neil in Guterson's story. While these two don't share an innate familial bond, like Lucile and Ruth do, they still belong to a family of sorts. Both young men experienced adolescence without their mothers and have fathers who show little interest in their lives and aspirations. This commonality means that both young people are regularly unsupervised and free to spend their time in each other's presence. Because of their familiarity with isolation and their surplus of free time, these two bond over long periods over wilderness and a shared desire “to fight suffering itself” (Guterson 5). Because John William is determined and strong-willed, Neil regularly finds himself “doing the things John William wants to do…and not quitting along the way” (Guterson 12). When the bond with John William brings him joy or satisfaction instead of harm or condemnation, Neil willingly stays by his side. As his friend becomes more set in his harmful ways, however, Neil finds less appeal in engaging because “in a friendship, you don't so much change the terms as you watch the terms change” (Guterson 112). In this sense, the relationship in The Other is maintained more passively than the bond between Lucille and Ruth. In any case, both relationships begin to disintegrate as Lucille and John William accept that they are drawn into paths that will lead them astray from their once-important companionships. Once again it is unclear why these polarizations exist, and the question remains whether this was a stimulus to new actions or simply the pursuit of an existing trajectory. Perhaps our psychology is set in stone from an early age: progression through life could be predetermined and freefrom external influences. On the other hand, significant life events could also be determinants of an individual's inner functioning. With any of these plausible explanations, the separation between Ruth and Lucille could be fate or, instead, the culmination of numerous events. The sisters face many defining moments together, and although these moments are initially experienced as firsts, the prose in the novel changes and their correspondence deteriorates. This discrepancy between the two grows as they mature, showing that the sisters are developing their own separate ideals. While it was once appropriate to consider “Lucille and [Ruth] as a single consciousness,” this strong similarity gives way to each member's need to demonstrate that they do not rely on the traits of another (Robinson 98). A clear dispute between the sisters is their evaluation of their latest caretaker, Sylvie. What begins as a shared joy at the prospect of being raised by their mother's sister soon becomes an irreconcilable disagreement between once inseparable parties. Sylvie's presence is not immediately disliked by either sister, but Lucille is significantly less willing to put up with her aunt's abnormal antics than Ruth. Lucille's lack of approval of Sylvie becomes clear to Ruth, and while she is not opposed to her new guardian, she "finds...advantage in conforming [her] attitudes to" Lucille's (Robinson 93). Ruth is unwilling to allow a divide in her one true relationship and submits her ideals to maintain her sisterhood. This is only a temporary solution to a nascent rift, however, as her efforts are challenged by Lucille's tendency to "[see] in everything its potential for hateful change" (Robinson 93). When the two begin to drift apart, only inertia is able to keep the relationship somewhat stable. But this tendency to stick to habits is short-lived. Each character's embodiment of their respective interests prevails until Ruth sees that "Lucille's loyalties [are] with the other world" (Robinson 95). A similar series of events also exists in The Other, when John William and Neil discover that the fruits of individuality triumph. about maintaining a weakened connection. As mentioned, Neil associates with John William with the idea that this will not distance him from other social ties. He enjoys John's company, but will not compromise to keep it. After a week of isolation in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, Neil feels aligned with John William's vision of “the social world organized as a pathetic illusion” (Guterson 35). Because Neil identifies strongly with John William, he is momentarily removed from the world. This turns out to be a temporary prospect, however, and Neil overcomes this sense of futility to pursue an education while furthering his involvement in other social functions, such as his budding relationship with Jamie. Neil appreciates conformity, but that doesn't entirely erase the comfort he finds in isolation. Yes, both characters derive great comfort from isolation, but the reason this state of being provides gratification for Neil is very different from the reason it provides comfort for John William. Isolation is not a sustainable solution for Neil, as he "tries to love [his] solitude" but finds it to be "a futile and conscious effort" (Guterson 145). What was once natural in his friendship turns into something that requires deliberate effort to recreate. John William never strays from this ideal, however, and this permanence of his character acts as the force that distances him from Neil and everyone he once knew. Even more so, this value..