Weird Relationship Dynamic; Was Steve Throwing His Life Away for Roxy?

[Wesley Friday]

Whilst reading the novel, right from the start I felt like Steve was throwing his life away for Roxy. Whilst Roxy was set on becoming a doctor, Steve was putting law school on hold in order to be close to Roxy and to please her by joining the Providence Police Force. I think Roxy's love for Steve was tied to Steve's continuous involvement in the anti-establishment movement and that was Steve's major fear that if he ever stopped to do anything else, that love would disappear. It seemed to me to be a weird relationship dynamic where Steve was constantly the chaser. If this were reality and Steve was your friend, judging from the relationship dynamic would you advise him to go to law school or join Providence PD and stay with Roxy?

[jomana_3]

I, too, felt that Steve was making many decisions only to stay with Roxy, and honestly, I didn't like their relationship. I would advise Steve to join Providence PD only if he truly wanted it and not just to be with his girlfriend.

[Phil Akor]

I don't think he was throwing his life away for Roxy. I do not see how his actions benefited Roxy.

[Amiczy Heaven]

At first, I thought he was throwing his life away staying around for Roxy, but he did quit after she cheated on him, so he was actually in the police to make a change and not sticking around for Roxy.

[Radhika Nair]

There is no doubt that Steve is rather protective and possessive of Roxy. Steve's attachment to Roxy seems at the narrative level to be a plot device to drive the narrative forward, shape Steve's character, and add tension to keep readers hooked. I'll admit it worked on me. But based on my reading I don't think Steve put off law school primarily because of Roxy. I think he really felt it was time to enter the world outside the classroom and that change could only be brought about from engaging directly with the system, and he was proven right because he accomplished something tangible. But in real life this kind of a dynamic seems like an unhealthy, codependent sort of attachment and should not be encouraged. Romance as depicted in stories has rarely seemed to me to be stable or sensible enough to be encouraged in real life.

[Jennifer Coxon]

I agree that Steve's choices revolve around Roxy for most of the book. I think his initial decision to stay in Providence with no direction of his own is potentially throwing his life away. However, when he finds his own purpose, albeit linked to Roxy's ideals, I think this is Steve taking a step for himself. I don't think Steve holding onto his ethics, which match Roxy's, is a bad thing. I do think that Steve thinking, if I do this she will love me more, or if I can only manage to break this corruption she will see I was doing it all for her, is excessive. If someone will only love you, if you do something they agree with, and not love you for you, I don't think they are the one for you. I do think that the ending speaks to this as Steve is finding his own new path, separate from Roxy for once.

[Boo_loves_books]

This is an interesting topic I have been thinking about since finishing the book. I believe Steve had more plans for their future together than Roxy did and that is evident in the numerous discussions they had. She became more distant and focused on her own goals the more Steve settled into his position, whereas his feelings for her deepened. I cannot fault Roxy for wanting to focus on her future career and not being ready to settle down and I wish Steve had been the same. I wish he had just given himself the time to figure out what his future should look like and establish himself before readying himself for a major commitment at a young age.

[Ayesha Ameera Memon]

I think I see where you're coming from. I found Steve's devotion to Roxy admirable, but at the same time questioned whether his decision to join the PD was really for the right reasons. I did find that maybe their relationship was a little bit codependent but only on Steve's end. While I do think Steve should have given proper consideration to joining law school, I don't think it was necessarily all to please Roxy. I think a part of it was his own passion to right some wrongs and prove to himself that he was worthy. So I think it's a bit of a gray area for me.

[Soshell Williams-Witter]

I would advise him to go to law school because while Roxy participates in the protest in her attempt to be a part of the change, she is still focused on getting into medical school. So why then should Steve change his plan to further his education. If Roxy truly loves him she will understand that just as she wants to attend medical school, he wants to attend law school and they could try to make the relationship work despite being some distance from each other.

[Ruthwriter]

Love is very powerful and complex sometimes.I will advise him to stay close to her because everything worth doing is worth doing very well. losing the love of his life may be traumatic for him.

[Emmanuel Odoemena]

At first, it seemed so. Everything he did he did for Roxy. When he joined the protest he did it because of Roxy, when the police force, part of the reason why he did it was to stay close to Roxy.

But even though he began that way, he ultimately found himself and his purpose in the long run.

[Avidreader888]

I agree with you completely. Steve was totally in love with Roxy and she only wanted him around as long as he was beneficial to her. Take the instant she went with her to visit her mom and he accompanied her. I don't think Roxy would have done the same for him. She was too self-absorbed and selfish. And sleeping with Cal? It was clear she had already moved on emotionally. Roxy was a character I came to dislike as the book progressed. Steve was too honorable for her.

[Ochieng Stephen Owino]

I would advise him to go to law school because if he had the preview of how Roxy would treat him in the future, I am sure he would hightail it. Roxy never wanted him to chase his dreams; she had him psychologically tied to her;to stay with her as she had 'no one else'.

[Eva Nyaburi]

I also felt that Steve was going overboard with the things he would do only to get Roxy's approval. He was constantly concerned about what Roxy would think if he did or did not do something. It was unfortunate that Roxy was ready to abandon him at any time without hesitation. I do not think it was a healthy relationship, at all.

[princejal]

I feel like Roxy might have had too much power or influence over Steve and this later led to problems in their relationship. Steve did make his decisions by himself but sometimes they were too centered on Roxy.