Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse.

The novel thoroughly addresses the complexities of familial conflict, focusing on the burdens of expectations and the struggle to reconcile personal aspirations with family obligations. Family expectations shape how both Rhett and Summer view themselves and their futures. For Summer, her father’s perception of her as an employee rather than a daughter influences her identity and causes her to put pressure on herself. She feels that she must constantly prove her worth, and this dynamic profoundly affects her career trajectory and her interactions with others. As she explains, “If hiring me isn’t going to seem like pure nepotism, then I need to be fantastic at what I do” (32). Her need for validation manifests in her initial reluctance to embrace her relationship with Rhett, as she fears disappointing her father and jeopardizing her professional reputation. For his own part, Rhett internalizes the expectations that come with his career even as he chafes beneath the disapproval of the Eaton family. Thus, he experiences pressures from multiple angles, viewing his value as intrinsically tied to his performance and success while enduring his family’s opinion that the career he so highly prizes is unworthy of him.