Outside Reading #4

A major conflict that emerges as the story progresses is Fitz's love for Delia and Delia's unknown love for Fitz. Delia at the beginning only thinks of them as best friends, and Fitz knows that he loves her and he would do anything for her, which is obvious when he says, "She had always trusted me to fix what's wrong: a dead car battery, a flooded basement, a broken heart. This time, I am way out of my league, but I try to rescue her anyway"(61). He, like Eric, always wants to save Delia, even when he is afraid that he might not be able to. But Fitz has the disposition of not being Delia's fiance and that hurts Fitz as is seen when he says,"I hesitate a second before hauling her into my arms-touching Delia is something I am always careful about; it comes at such great cost to me"(61). Fitz can't have Delia, but Fitz is probably the one who knows her the best. The reader begins to think that Fitz is the one for Delia and not Eric. When Eric and Delia are fighting, Delia goes to Fitz's house and Fitz's description of the event is as follows, "She falls asleep this time holding my hand, Eric's diamond ring cutting into my palm like the wounds of Passion from the Crucifixtion. I would do that for her, I realize. Die. Be reborn"(393). This just once again illustrates the love and willingness of Fitz to do anything for his beloved Delia.

Eric constantly has to battle his alcholism and his rocky relationship with Delia that is even more on edge because of her father's crime. Delia fears Eric drinking again, while Eric fears losing Delia. These exact fears can be seen in an a conversation between Delia and Eric," 'You won't start drinking again, Eric.'
'I wasn't talking about alcoholism,' he says,'I was talking about losing you'"(285). The reader begins to get the sense that these two just cannot make this relationship work; that they are simply too different for each other. Eric tries to be someone that he is not for Delia and that leads to fighting and eventually leads back to Eric drinking again. He has a fight with Delia about how isn't allowed to tell her the details of her father's case because he is his lawyer and sharing details would be against the law. Delia is very uspet and Eric heads off to, "I head to the corner of whiskey's. The cashier puts the Maker's Mark into a brown bag for me and hands me back my change. When i leave the store I twist off the cap of the whiskey bottle. I lift the bottle to my lips and tilt back my head and savor that first, blessed, anesthetic mouthful"(261). Eric cannot be the person Delia wants him to be, and that takes a toll on their relationship and drives Eric back to his nasty habit of drinking.