The Breakfast Club
...’t mean what they said, the transaction would still have some sort of effect on both of them. Interpersonal communication is complicated because Claire must take everything she knows about Bender in consideration before she forms her questions. When she asks Bender why he doesn’t believe in monogamy and Bender doesn’t respond, Claire doesn’t take into consideration the fact that Bender likes to disclose very little about himself. This scene also shows that interpersonal communication is contextual. If Bender and Claire weren’t in detention together, they wouldn’t even be talking to each other. Furthermore, if they weren’t in detention together, they wouldn’t be as nice to each other as they are. They would probably be much more defensive and self-protective in a different context. Interpersonal communication is governed by rules. One of these rules is that people should respect the other’s privacy. In this situation, when Bender is reluctant to explain why he doesn’t believe in monogamy, Claire sees this and backs off. In Claire and Bender’s conversation, there are a few nonverbal messages both characters send. Claire is curious and intrigued by Bender. This can be seen in her posture towards him and her usage of direct eye contact. Bender seems to be somewhat disinterested because of his avoidance of eye contact and unanimated facial expressions. When Claire (discussing monogamoustic relationships) asks, “Why not?” it is clear that Bender doesn’t want to answer the question by his cold look and quick change of subject. There aren’t any verbal misunderstandings between the two because Claire persistently asks for clarification on every one of Bender’s responses. Claire asks, “Are all these your girlfriends?” Followed by, “What about the others?” Bender replies, “Some I consider my girlfriends and some I just consider.” Due to Bender’s vague response, Claire asks, “Consider what?” If Claire didn’t keep asking for explanations, she would misunderstand Bender because of his vagueness. In this interaction, both characters display characteristics of an assertive communication style. Claire shows assertiveness in the way she forms her questions according to Bender’s responses. She doesn’t act bossy or pushy with her inquiries, but simply shows her interest and curiosity. When Bender refuses to answer a question, Claire respects Bender’s decision and ceases to investigate further. But, when Bender responds with, “How come you got so much shit in your purse?” Claire shows her assertiveness by refusing the question, firing back with, “How come you got so many girlfriends?” Bender is assertive as well in this scene in that he chooses to answer the questions he wants. In any other scene, Bender would be described as aggressive. However, here he happens to not hurt anyone’s feelings or be blatantly obnoxious. A few gender issues are apparent in this interaction. We can see Claire show her femininity as she investigates Bender’s relationship history. She asks, “Are all these your girlfriends?” And she goes on to ask about his belief in non-monogamous relationships. The book states that “feminine cultures value relationships, caring for the less fortunate, and overall quality of life”. Bender doesn’t necessarily show any characteristics of femininity or masculinity. He’s not very involved in the conversation in the first place, so his gender is not very apparent in this scene. I think one o...