Relationships are special bonds between people that do not happen quickly. It takes time meet someone you would consider having a relationship with, and then it building that relationship can be tough. When having a romantic relationship it takes feelings, but it also takes two people to put in effort. The most important step of a relationship is building it, so if you cannot do that step it will not work. Joseph F. Newton once said “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” This quote proves that building a relationship is very important to a relationship; however it is not the only one. Seamus Heaney’s "Scaffolding" displays romantic relations, by describing the building of relationships, the stages of a relationship, and love. "When they start upon a building / Are careful to test out the scaffolding" Heaney is trying to. When Heaney uses the words "careful" and "test" he is explaining the cautiousness you should take when starting a relationship. The process towards relationship building is instilled in the next two stanzas. "Make sure that the planks won't slip at busy points" can be interpreted as when mutual difficulties come up, the two people would join together to solve the problems and the relationship won't fall from it and wont collapse hurt either people. The metaphor symbolizes relationship building is dangerous so you shouldn’t rush things.
Furthermore, Heaney describes the stages you should take when in a relationship. "Ladders" represents the essential stages to reach the height of the relationship and to "tighten bolted joints" refers to the building of trust in each other. In the next line Heaney says, "And yet all this comes down when the job is done/ Showing off the walls of sure stone" shows that the solid structure of a relationship remains after the scaffolding is gone. After the relationship has been established and endured from all kinds of problems, there is a mutual trust and faith in each other