Infidelity and Betrayal

The author uses infidelity and betrayal to explore how levels of abuse are tolerated in relationships.

When Selena discovers Graham is having an affair with Geneva, she wonders why she was not “weeping with anger, the sting of betrayal, jealousy? Why hadn’t she raced home after the first discovery, raging, and tossed him out, fired Geneva? That’s what anyone would do” (20). This is not the first time that Graham has been unfaithful to Selena. Selena “wanted to believe that he loved her, in spite of his flagrant infidelity” (65) Ultimately, the repetition of Graham’s infidelity pushes Selena away from him and breaks down any “blind devotion” (64) Selena may feel.

Selena’s situation is similar to her mother Cora’s. Cora tried her best to keep her marriage together through her husband Doug’s serial infidelities, but Cora learns that “there are all...