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Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 14 Aug 2022, 16:50
by Wesley Friday
Whilst reading the novel, right from the start I felt like Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Whilst Roxy was set on becoming a doctor, Steve was putting law school on hold in order to be close to Roxy and to please her by joining the Providence Police Force. I think Roxy's love for Steve was tied to Steve's continuous involvement in the anti-establishment movement and that was Steve's major fear that if he ever stopped to do anything else, that love would disappear. It seemed to me to be a weird relationship dynamic where Steve was constantly the chaser. If this were reality and Steve was your friend, judging from the relationship dynamic would you advise him to go to law school or join Providence PD and stay with Roxy?
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 22 Aug 2022, 00:57
by Riya Sarkar
Given that joining the Providence PD was more important to Steve than going to law school, I would have advised him to follow his heart but if Roxy were the sole reason he had stayed back then that definitely would have been a wrong choice.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 23 Aug 2022, 12:09
by Ochieng Omuodo
Isn't it always the way that in any relationship there has to be a chaser? Anyway, Steve and Roxy DID end up together, so he made the right decision. I'd have advised him to go to law school. But the truth is, if he didn't stay with Roxy, their relationship would have died. There are no absolute rights and wrongs in life, right?
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 26 Aug 2022, 05:26
by DyanaFl
Whether the decision to join Providence PD was good or bad, the fact that Steve's main motive was to just stay close to Roxy does not sound good. They were still figuring themselves out and betting on a life together was Steve rushing into things. If Steve was my friend, I would probably advise him to go on to law school. So yes, Steve might have been throwing his life away for Roxy. He just was lucky he made a pretty big difference along the way, but that I will give him all the credit for.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 27 Aug 2022, 09:17
by Not available anymore
I feel like inasmuch his decision to join the force was partly because of Roxy he actually wanted to do it for himself as well because his encounter with Sergeant Durk gave him a new perspective
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 29 Aug 2022, 10:12
by Eruore Ekpoh
I believe that Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Steve made too many sacrifices to be with her. He felt obligated to stay close to her because he didn't was her to feel lonely as she had lost too many close to her, and despite all that, she still betrayed his trust.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 01 Sep 2022, 19:39
by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
Wesley Friday wrote: ↑14 Aug 2022, 16:50
Whilst reading the novel, right from the start I felt like Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Whilst Roxy was set on becoming a doctor, Steve was putting law school on hold in order to be close to Roxy and to please her by joining the Providence Police Force. I think Roxy's love for Steve was tied to Steve's continuous involvement in the anti-establishment movement and that was Steve's major fear that if he ever stopped to do anything else, that love would disappear. It seemed to me to be a weird relationship dynamic where Steve was constantly the chaser. If this were reality and Steve was your friend, judging from the relationship dynamic would you advise him to go to law school or join Providence PD and stay with Roxy?
The problem was the intention behind staying in Providence and the fact that this was not a reciprocal relationship. If Steve had decided to stay in Providence simply because he thought it was the best idea, that's fine. But it seemed as if every decision he took was to please Roxy. And honestly, she didn't care much about pleasing him. Her only focus was her career. Again, that's perfectly fine. But it doesn't make for a fair relationship.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 11 Sep 2022, 12:05
by Stella Edogun
I would advise him to go to law school. I felt like he was putting his life on his just to be with her. He was always making sacrifices while she wasn't putting in any effort.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 12 Sep 2022, 21:39
by IbrahimOtegbade
I understand Steve's love for Roxy. Steve chose to join the police to change the system, even though he wasn't much of an activist, and to impress Roxy. Roxy's ex was an activist, so he must have thought she would like him if he became one.
He must have made the decision of changing the system after he saw the violence against students protesting in Ohio. If I was his friend, I'd advise him to follow his dream and fight corruption through legal means. But I think he chose the police because of "power" in the uniform.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 13 Sep 2022, 09:39
by Deepanshu Tushir
I don't think Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Joining the police department was his own decision, as he wanted to stop corruption and police brutality.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 19 Sep 2022, 12:55
by Zainab Wasif
I agree. I think he was a little insecure about his relationship with Roxy and he feared losing her all the time since she was his first real girlfriend. His decision to join the Providence was partly because of staying close to Roxy. He also feared that if he went away, Roxy would find some other shoulder to cry on and would not need him anymore. But both Steve’s and Roxy’s character were dynamic, they matured with time and ultimately they went separate ways but did not lose touch.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 26 Sep 2022, 09:05
by Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine
If I had a friend like Steve in real life, I would advise him to finish his studies and only partake in political activities afterwards. Roxy should be less selfish, in the story she is expecting a lot from Steve.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 06 Oct 2022, 15:36
by Obi Egbuniwe
I agree. There was such a weird power imbalance between Steve and Roxy. Seemed he was constantly trying to prove his relevance to Roxy. At the end of the day his choices sort if panned out so I guess that's the most important thing.
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 08 Oct 2022, 08:33
by Fajarr
There are no absolute rights and wrongs in life, right? Agree to this statement
Re: Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?
Posted: 13 Oct 2022, 02:38
by Lindiwe Chakhala
Wesley Friday wrote: ↑14 Aug 2022, 16:50
Whilst reading the novel, right from the start I felt like Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Whilst Roxy was set on becoming a doctor, Steve was putting law school on hold in order to be close to Roxy and to please her by joining the Providence Police Force. I think Roxy's love for Steve was tied to Steve's continuous involvement in the anti-establishment movement and that was Steve's major fear that if he ever stopped to do anything else, that love would disappear. It seemed to me to be a weird relationship dynamic where Steve was constantly the chaser. If this were reality and Steve was your friend, judging from the relationship dynamic would you advise him to go to law school or join Providence PD and stay with Roxy?
If Steve was my friend, I would have advised to him to consider himself more than Roxanne. I would not place focus on her cause it would only drive him closer to her. I would focus on the conversation on him and his dreams. I read the book and from the very beginning I also felt sad for him. He really gave up his identity to fuel her. I became very disappointed when she cheated but he flipped it to take the blame. Thankfully it is a relationship that took place in his twenties and not later in life. He would be able to bounce back quicker. The ending suited him.