Loyalty and Betrayal

The relationship between Eden and Mary is founded through loyalty and betrayal. Loyalty, the feeling of support and consistent faith in a relationship, connects the characters together, and its opposite, betrayal, causes conflicts among the characters. Early in the novel, Mary displays loyalty to Eden in her consistent presence in the burn unit. This presence can be viewed as selfless caring of Eden during his darkest hours. This trust and support is similar to Mary and Eden’s early relationship when they depended on each other for emotional survival outside of their hometown. This loyalty was displayed in simple and loving ways, like Mary assembling dinner in the backseat of their Mustang when they were homeless. If kept up, these gestures will allow their relationship to handle any adversity that appears.

However, as readers learn through the flashbacks, the loyalty of their relationship begins...