Central Idea on Cat Person: How Fantasies can End a Relationship

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How Fantasies can End a Relationship
“Cat Person,” a short story written by Kristen Ruopenian, explores the beginning and progress of a relationship between a young college girl working at a movie theater named Margot and her fantastical lover, Robert who is 14 years older than she is. The beginning of the relationship is built on the ideations that Margot has about Robert. However, when Margot goes on a real date with Robert and they end up having a sexual encounter at his place, the experience changes her perception of Robert and eventually leads to the collapse of the relationship. The story’s central idea is that a relationship built on fantasy is sustainable in the beginning but can eventually break down when an in-person meeting during a date fails to match the expectations created by the fantasies.
Ruopenian relies on characterization to bring out the central idea of the story. The protagonist of the story is Margot, a 20-year-old college student working in a local theater. Her motive for flirting with the clients from the outset is increasing the likelihood that they would leave her a generous tip. Ruopenian characterizes Margot as a young girl with flawed inner thoughts that leads to complication as she navigates the process of dating as a young and inexperienced woman. From the start of her relationship with Robert, Margot approaches it mechanically in the sense that she gives Robert her number even though she is not attracted to him. Given that Margot thinks that Robert is in his mid-twenties, one would expect that she would gather more knowledge about Robert’s age before agreeing to go out on a date with him. However, such is not the case revealing the naivety with which the main character approaches relationships. The failure of the main character to learn more about Robert leads to the creation of a fantasy that eventually breaks down during an in-person date with Robert. The breakdown brings out the central idea that a relationship that is based on fantasy usually fails when the set expectations are not realized.
In addition to Margot’s characterization, Robert’s characterization brings out the central idea of the short story. Just like Marg...