One act of betrayal is enough for a person to lose everything.
“The Painted Door”, written by Sinclair Ross, is a heart-breaking short story that portrays loyalty and sacrifice in a relationship. Sinclair introduces 3 characters throughout the story; John, Ann and Steven. It is placed in middle of winter on the Canadian prairies. John, a farmer, tells his loving wife that he is going to check on his father before a storm comes. She doesn’t want him to go at first, but he insists and offers to stop by their friend Steven’s house and ask him to keep her company while he is away. Ann loves John and they have been married for 7 years.
He works day and night without any help, so they can pay off their mortgage, move to a bigger house and Ann can have some pretty clothes. Ann appreciates John’s hard work, but she sometimes feels lonely and wishes that they could enjoy themselves while they are young. This leads her into making a terrible mistake when Steven comes home to comfort her. Steven persuades Ann by insisting that John will not make it home due to the intense Blizzard. Ann decides that John will be away all night and sleeps with Steven.
The next morning John is found dead near the house. Each of the characters in “The Painted Door” shows us that loyalty involves a sacrifice of some kind.
