<p>Do people need knowledge of societal trends to understand and improve their personal relationships?</p>
<pre><code>Personal relationships can be defined as interpersonal interactions occurring frequently and range from platonic, romantic, or even business like. Knowing societal trends translates into ideal personal relationships; this principle is expressed through the characters of Leon in Madame Bovary, Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons, Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, and the main character of the movie The Devil Wears Prada.
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<p>In Madame Bovary, Leon is a young clerk who is savvy of the Parisian popular culture, including music, the arts, and etiquette. Therefore, when he meets Madame Bovary, a city girl, he is able to connect with her in a way her husband, Charles, can never dream of. In this instance, Leon successfully pursues an illicit romantic relationship with madame Bovary due to his vast knowledge of societal trends. For instance, he enjoys reading fashion magazines with her after dinner, while Mr. Bovary falls asleep or devotes himself to medical studies. Due to this social astuteness, Leon is able to sustain an immoral, but nonetheless successful interpersonal relationship.
Likewise, in A Man for All Seasons, King Henry VIII is a man who engages in illicit affairs and tries to create an entirely new religion against the will of his largely Catholic kingdom. As a king, Henry VIII has personal relationship with his ministers; his decision to reject the then emerging societal trend of religious tolerance instilled fear and hatred towards him. In the interpersonal relationship of friendship, King Henry VIII loses all of his Catholic friends who resist his insistence of their conversions to Anglican Christianity. By a lack of wariness to these surroundings and their policies of tolerance, King Henry VIII loses far many a good friend. Thus, societal trends are necessary for successful relationships.
In a Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley’s total ignorance towards the societal trends of the South causes a strained relationship with him and his sister in law, Blanche DuBois. Blanche takes the role as the stereotypical belle, not expecting the lurid violence and brutality of Stanley. Importantly, Stanley constantly mocks the sophistication Blanche constantly immerses herself in and denies the modern, free roles of women. by ignoring the societal trend of declining chauvinism, Stanley then alienates his own wife, Stella, who he perpetually abuses and restricts. Clearly, a lack in knowledge of societal trends prevents civilities within the family–an important outlet for interpersonal relationship.
In the context of modern America, the young, newly employed woman in the movie The Devil Wears Prada alienates her from her new employer by lacking knowledge of New York City societal trends. For instance, she dresses contrary to expectations of a fashion firm, acts unaware of the publication’s hierarchy, and belittles facets of life that seem important to the New York elite. In this manner, knowledge of societal trends can make enormous differences between successful and unsuccessful personal relationships–whether romantic, business-like, platonic, or otherwise. </p>