Love Lost

Love is complicated on the internet, especially on social media. Usually couples are perceived a certain way through their posts and now even more people are meeting online. Relationships are even more complicated in The Circle, especially when transparency is involved. Mae's relationships are all complicated by her transparency and her lack of understanding of a healthy relationship.

Her relationships with three other characters are rocky at best, the first one being with Mercer. Mercer seemed to mesh well with Mae and at first I was grateful for a love interest, I thought they would do well. Unfortunately Mae's involvement with the Circle and her transparency forced Mercer away. He was not comfortable with their private life on view for the rest of the world, which is understandable, and she eventually lost him.

Another one of Mae's love interests has been the elusive Kalden. He is skilled in dodging her questions as well as keeping their meeting private. Their relationship becomes more of a sexual one than anything. After Mae becomes fully transparent she is curious as to how he keeps himself so private. This curiosity "killed the cat" in a sense and their relationship seemed to falter.

The last of Mae's love interests have been Francis who is the most frustrating out of all. They seem like complete opposites but if opposites attract then they are the poster couple for that saying. Francis is blunt, does not support transparency, and Mae is extremely attracted to him. Francis has his insecurities and faults but their relationship seems to be something that could flourish into a long lasting one.

Mae's transparency leads her to not being able to have a full healthy relationship with anyone, privacy is a thing of value seen by some of the love interests, but she just doesn't understand. Her lack of knowledge of a healthy relationship, as well as why privacy is a good thing gives her the consequences that can be foreseen. No relationship, and a lack of utter disappointment.