Runaways

Runaways A Family Torn Apart “This ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.” When reciting these vows to a loved one, an individual is committing oneself to a life long relationship which goes far beyond the lines of “dating.” For many this can prove to be a promise that is not always easy to keep. Whether because of infidelity, violence, or other reasons, separated families affect more than just the couple in the relationship. In Karen Brennan’s short story “Runaways,” we observe how physical abuse and infidelity leads to a family’s separation and the resulting destructive impact on family and friends. Physical abuse in a relationship is a key factor of failing marriages. Lou’s husband beats her so often, she is afraid to go to sleep. This is illustrated in Lou’s statement, “The night before I left, I lay on the living-room couch with the front door ajar in case he came down in the middle of the night in one of his furies. I was afraid to go to sleep” (Brennan 583). In 1999, Roger Sider, M.D. wrote the article, “Living Together Risky for Young Women runaways, lou, children, family, life, husband, one, lou’s, mussel, home, relationship, problems, violence, sister, separated, own, infidelity, go, young, whether, should, separation, parents, always, abuse, world, women, understand, sleep, seems, robert, realizes, people, must, marriage