Human relationships play a major and important role in our lives, they teach us important lessons and help us grow as human beings. In The Price of Salt, Highsmith is able to beautifully capture the complexity of relationships. Jealousy, lust, love, anger, etc. are intrinsic to the human being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe story begins with Thérèse Belivet, a nineteen-year-old girl who works in a department store selling dolls. She was orphaned after her father died and her mother abandoned her. Her relationship with her mother was extremely toxic and she felt that her mother did not care about her. Therefore, feeling resentful towards old women, like Mrs. Ruby Robichek, who worked with her, was easy for her because they reminded her of her mother. She was dating a man named Richard at the time, whom she didn't like and didn't like sex either. Her life was quite lonely, even though she was surrounded by people. One day, at Christmas, Thérèse noticed a woman, “she was tall and blonde, her long figure graceful in the loose fur coat that she held open…. his eyes were gray, colorless, but dominant like light or fire.” Thérèse fell in love. Carol was going through a bad divorce; she felt that her husband, Harge, did not love her. In her time, marriage was something women did naturally. But soon, Carol's past lesbian relationships resurfaced and tension grew between her and her husband. To make matters more complex, she had a daughter and was fighting for custody. Carol felt hated not only by Harge but by her entire family. Carol felt very controlled by him and all of this put her in a state of mind where she felt very alone. So, when she received a Christmas card from Thérèse, she agreed to meet her. They met a few more times and Thérèse fell madly in love with Carol. At the same time, her relationship with Richard was strained. She becomes resentful of his lifestyle and carefree attitude. Her only reason for being with him was societal pressure to marry. Soon, Thérèse was introduced to Abby Gerhard, who was Carol's best friend and ex-lover. Their proximity made Thérèse extremely jealous. She thought she would never have what Carol and Abby had. Soon, Abby realizes that Therese and Carol care a lot about each other and she begins to condescend to Therese. It is likely that Abby felt threatened, knowing that Carol had a weakness for Thérèse. Jealousy between Abby and Thérèse grows and Abby warns Thérèse not to be too attached to Carol. Abby also mentions to Therese to stay away from a road trip that Carol plans to take her on. Through all of these complications and communication gaps between Carol, Therese, and Abby, Carol and Therese eventually form a relationship. Thérèse, who had a conflictual relationship with Richard, gradually moves away from him. The fact that these two are women and have a huge age difference isn't the only thing that makes their relationship unique. They were also separated by class, which brought an interesting dynamic to their relationship. This significant class difference often generated tension in their relationship. For example, they planned to spend a vacation together in the West. Thérèse initially declines because she doesn't have enough money. Carol immediately writes her a check and also gives Thérèse an expensive suitcase. Thérèse refuses these two.