Mind Games

     Patty's negativity throughout the reading is astounding because in the first part of the novel, she is much more positive and overall a nicer person.  She also is almost childish in some of her exchanges with people and extremely sarcastic.  She did have some characters flaws in the way she would think about different things, but not to the extreme she exhibits later in the book.

     Often times, she is negative towards herself and is looking for attention.  For example, when she is talking to Joey on the phone, he asks how she is and her response is, "Oh, well, it's nice of you to ask, but you don't really want to know" (259).  Instead of being bottom line polite she chooses to make a statement out of an entirely common question.  Even when he asks her again she has to deny him and not give a straight answer.  

     She has taken to playing games, especially with Walter, and asks as though she is uninterested in him and what he does and basically does things to make him mad at her.  She bold faced tells him that he can sleep with Lalitha as a sort of test of hers to see how he will react (322).  Then when she does not receive the reaction she was hoping for, goes and cries and continues to question Walter and his motives.  Her own motives for doing these things are not quite clear.  Patty does not seem to even try to be supportive of Richard anymore.  When he calls her about the story that leaked she is very insensitive and cold.  Then when he states they are "heading for a catastrophe" she immediately jumps to the conclusion that he is speaking of their marriage instead of his business issues.  Why would she do these things?

     One theory is that she really is trying to push Walter away and be with Richard, instead.  She knows he will not commit to anything while they are still married and so she is trying to solve the problem herself.  She reinforces this theory by being very nonchalant when Richard is visiting them in Washington and never being in the house when he is there.  She tries to twist everything on him and say it was his fault because she does not like that she rather be with Richard and feels guilty.  It also hurts her that Walter has found someone else, too.  In the end, she still goes to Richard as she had always wanted.