Happy Birthday, is the song that instantly makes the recipient uncomfortable and leaves them wondering what to do while it is sung. “Am I singing?” “Am I sitting here awkwardly?” “Do I take a selfie?” These are the questions the recipient usually asks and, unfortunately, there are no right answers. Fortunately, Katharine Brush's short story The Birthday Party gives us a way to address this problem: scolding your wife. Katherine's short story is about a woman who gives her husband a surprise birthday cake at a restaurant. Instead of being grateful as one would expect, the husband scolds her for this act of affection. Husband's anger towards his wife demonstrates the importance of communication and dedication in a relationship, because without it, the relationship is broken. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Communication is the keystone of a relationship. In The Birthday Party, the wife and husband show the reader what happens when there is no communication in a relationship: surprises turn into relationship-ending events. The wife's simple but loving gesture of giving her husband a birthday cake could have ended their marriage due to their lack of communication. Although unfortunate, this is a theme of the story that translates into real-life relationships. According to a YourTango.com survey of 100 mental health professionals, lack of communication was the leading reason for divorce. Indeed, humans are historically social creatures, who have relied on advanced forms of communication, particularly speech and emotions, to survive and evolve. And according to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, traits that help a species survive will continue to flourish in future generations. Likewise, the human desire to communicate with one's partner ultimately results in the successful raising of a child. Basically, mating is the sole purpose of a relationship from an evolutionary perspective. But humans like to give meaning to their lives. This results in many humans choosing suboptimal ways to live their lives: choosing a life partner. Ultimately changing the original purpose of a relationship. The change in purpose in a relationship makes the foundation of a relationship one of dedication. When applied correctly, devotion to another individual can be an extremely powerful bond that holds a relationship together. Traditionally, this is what is promised at weddings: "Do you (Person A) take (Person B) to legally be your (wife/husband), to have and keep her, in case of illness and health… keeping you only for them for as long as you both live? Unfortunately, commitment is no longer as common as it was in the early 20th century, simply because divorce documents have become extremely difficult to obtain. The husband, from The Birthday Party, might have had divorce on his mind on his birthday. The author never tells the reader what the husband said to his wife, but it can be assumed that he was no longer devoted to his wife. Their relationship was one-sided and was coming to an end. This coincides with the sudden explosion in divorce rates in the United States after World War II, as divorce began to become socially acceptable. Both parties in a relationship were no longer pressured by society to stay together during difficult times. And.