The Art of Breakups: Relational Dissolution in Gossip Girl
Blair and Nate are the King and Queen of the Upper East Side, and their relationship means more than just being boyfriend and girlfriend. Their relationship is the symbol of their and their families status, a key component of who they, and more importantly what others are not. So when trouble strikes this couple, more than just their relationship status on MySpace is affected.
Emotional and sexual infidelity is something that plagues this couple from the beginning of the series. According to Close Encounters sexual infidelity refers to, "sexual activity with someone other than one's long term partner" (31). When Nate cheats on Blair with her BFF Serena, the physical act of the two having sex was just one form of infidelity on their relationship. The cheating continues with Nate's emotional infidelity.
According to Close Encounters, emotional infidelity refers, "emotional involvement with another person, which leads one's partner to channel, 'emotional resources such as romantic love, time, and attention to someone else'" (32). After cheating on Blair sexually, Nate develops an emotional affair with Serena. The first sign of this is emotional dissatisfaction was when Nate had spent time with Serena and he realized how unhappy he was with Blair. From this we see Nate emotionally disengage with Blair, not wanting to talk to her or spend time with her. He cuts his emotional ties from her. This reluctance to spend time with Blair is just one more sign of his emotional affair with Serena. Infidelity and interest in a third part is just one reason that Nate and Blair's relationship falls to pieces. Another factor in their relational demise is atrophy, or growing party. "Relationships also deteriorate due to decreased quality and quantity of communication, distance, reduced efforts to maintain the relationship, or competition from hundreds of relationships in today's fast pace world" (33). |
It is brought up over and over again throughout the first season, Nate and Blair have been together since they were eight. It is obvious that their relationship has changed since then; but, when high school, parties, other loves, and finding who they are as an individual come into the equation, they find themselves further and further from who they used to be as a couple.
This relationship finally comes to its literally bloody end, when Nate's father punches him in the face at a gathering of the two families. The relationship that meant so much to their parents falls apart in front of their faces, along with Nate's families money, the business relationship between the two families, and the status of both teens. The relationship carried more weight than an average high school love, and because of that with its demise also comes the demise of the world Nate and Blair so easily managed.
This relationship finally comes to its literally bloody end, when Nate's father punches him in the face at a gathering of the two families. The relationship that meant so much to their parents falls apart in front of their faces, along with Nate's families money, the business relationship between the two families, and the status of both teens. The relationship carried more weight than an average high school love, and because of that with its demise also comes the demise of the world Nate and Blair so easily managed.
The Catastrophe Theory of Disengagement shows the break up of Nate and Blair. This theory skips a step by step process of breaking up, that is somewhat unrealistic in many relationships as it is with Blair and Nate. Sure, there are signs and things that happen along the way, but they do not fit into a structured pattern.
"Relationships break up in a radically different way; they do not gradually unwind through stages of relational dissolution, but instead via sudden deaths" (34). In this sudden death idea, there are many signs along the way. In Nate and Blair's relationship this would be the cheating, the disengagement spending less time together, and so forth but these do not happen in specific steps or stages. In the end we see a blow up of emotions and the sudden break up that follows, bringing this idolized couple and their world down together.
|
** Please visit Works Cited page for citations of all quotes, pictures, and videos. **