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Love in literature essay
Love in literature essay
Love in literature essay
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Analysing Love
Love is viewed as a sacred bond between humans; an intangible object that is both pure and divine, something that has existed for all generations. It has entangled itself with the basis of storytelling, presenting the serious, and supposedly correct, interpretation of love. This does not mean all authors propagate this notion. Even in the famous Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare comments on how ludicrous love-at-first-sight can be. Anton Chekhov shares similar ideas. He writes “The Bear” to critique the popular connotation of love, exaggerating scenarios in order to expose and display its fundamental flaws, which are foolish to follow.
Staying permanently loyal to someone cruel after their death is a waste of a life. In “The Bear”, Mrs. Popov locks herself in her house and refuses to leave, claiming to be true to her late husband. “It’s no mystery to you that he was often mean to me, cruel . . . and even unfaithful, but I Shall remain true to the grave and show him I know how to love.” (Chekhov 2). This is no way to live life. She locks herself up because of some preconceived behaviors that are supposed to demonstrate love. This statement showing that she possesses true “love” is absurd and unnecessary. Mrs. Popov is ruining the rest of her life by following her foolish notions.
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As Smirnov barges in demanding payment from Mrs. Popov, readers learn he despises women because of past experiences. “There was a time when I played the fool . . . I ran through half my fortune as a result of my tender feelings” (Chekhov 5). Chasing his feeling of love, Smirnov falls short many times, never finding deep affection. The idea of love has led him to believe that gifts and experiences will lead to happiness. Instead it produces nothing but resentment for love and, eventually, women. The hunt for love is not defined by materialistic items, thus it is unwise to exhaust money on the
Our aim is to portrait the character of Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov, in the context of the story, extracting those elements that are characteristic of the period in which Chekhov wrote the story. True love is a reason for everything, even deleting the laws of life. People's mistakes and weaknesses are part of life and, without contradictions, the world would not have evolved.... ... middle of paper ...
Fate or choice? Choice or fate? How does one separate these ideals? Can one? Shakespeare could not. Nor can we. Fate and choice are so intertwined that our choices determine our fate, and our fate determines our choices. William Shakespeare trusts the audience to scrutinize whether it is fate or choice that rules our human life. Shakespeare aptly conveys this oxymoron (with which people have been dealing for ages) through the evidence and structure of his play, Romeo and Juliet.
Chekhov reminds the readers that Anna is young compared to Gurov. Chekhov’s novel states, “As he went to bed he reminded himself that only a short time ago she had been a schoolgirl, like his own daughter” (3). The images of Anna being a schoolgirl not too long ago, when Gurov has a daughter of similar age, brings the sense of abnormality between the relationship of Gurov and Anna. It’s hard to imagine such a huge difference in lovers especially in the strict culture of Russia in the late 19th century where these occasions were unthought-of. The uncomforting thought of the difference in age goes back to differ the meanings of love and romance in the novel because against all odds and differences, Anna and Gurov hide away from these obvious facts. The thought of love in this culture is between a man and woman of similar age. According to Chekhov’s novel, “He was sick of his children, sick of the bank, felt not the slightest desire to go anywhere or talk about anything” (9). Chekhov’s description of sickness reveals that Gurov has a huge moment of denial, denial of family and denial of age. This denial of age, helps Gurov cope with the oddities of their relationship, the oddities of the love they had with the characteristics of a romance. Gurov was trying to change the definition of their relationship on his own mental terms. While Gurov was trying to bring out a spontaneous, younger
Conception of Love in The Kreutzer Sonata Perhaps Tolstoy's short story, “The Kreutzer Sonata”, truly captures one definite conception of love, albeit a very negative one. To understand more about what is brought to light in this story, we need to take a look at it, more importantly at the character of Pozdnychev. Pozdnychev has just spent several years in prison for the murder of his unfaithful wife, as we find out early in the story. His tale is a sordid one, as he relates his past life, before his wedding, the meeting of his wife, their marriage, their dreadful relationship up to the murder itself and the tribunal. What is interesting in his story remains the unique perception he has on love, on marriage, and on society in general.
In The Darling, Anton Chekhov tells the story of Olga Semyonovna, a woman who is empty without love in her life. Olga is widowed twice, takes a lover who leaves her, and eventually focuses on her old lover's child as the object of her obsession. In all these relationships, she takes on the ideas and emotions of her companion. She smothers the boy, Sasha, with so much attention that he cries out in his sleep. Olga's capacity to love is infinite, but that love is a parasitical and debilitating one.
Fulford, Robert.“Surprised by love: Chekhov and ‘The Lady with the Dog’.” Queen’s Quarterly. n.d. Web. 17 November 2013.
Fulford, Robert.“Surprised by love: Chekhov and ‘The Lady with the Dog’.” Queen’s Quarterly. n.d. Web. 17 November 2013.
First, the characters understand that their relationship is based on future aspirations and second, they have historical relationship disappointments. This third insight into the psychology of love supports the fact that many relationships and marriages often fail because of unrealistic expectations. Psychology research SHOWS that individual expectations for relationships actually sows the seeds of discontent. People are expected to provide not only provide safety, security and support, but also facilitate personal growth and freedom. Even though they come from an older period in history, Anna and Dmitri are stereotypical people who have unhappy pasts and hopeful futures. They are thrown into an intense relationship with limited mutual understanding. Chekhov’s limited dialogue and straightforward narrative leaves plenty of cognitive room for readers to ruminate about their own experiences and how they relate to the
"The Bear," which is a classic one-act play written 1900, is one of the great works of Anton Chekhov, which is very much about a widowed woman. The Bear can be regarded as a comedy since it is to give the audience entertainment and amusement. This comedy reveals the fine line between anger and passion. The theme is about a strange beginning of love between Mrs. Popov and Smirnov. It demonstrated that love changes all things it touches. Dialogue of the characters, the action of the characters, and the characters themselves shape the theme. Unbelievable actions and change in mood on the part of the characters show that love can sometimes come from an odd turn of events.
While Chekhov uses pain and suffering in all his stories, he does an especially effective job with two short stories “Misery” and “Vengeance.” In both, Chekhov introduces a similar theme, although it is first suggested in “Misery”: “The theme of the individual isolation is suggested in many of Chekhov’s early stories, but it is first fully developed in the brief sketch ‘Misery’,” (Winner 137). While reading “Misery,” the reader can absorb Chekhov through the twined themes of loneliness and isolationism. This enables characters to become so real that each reader can relate through the characters and the situation. One reason “Misery” is so well thought of by critics is that “the story takes a powerful look at the lack of human involvement and compassion towards one man’s grief” (Guevara 2). Of course, almost all who read the story have felt such loneliness or grief at one time or other in their lives and can, therefore, relate to the protagonist’s pain and isolation.
Then Pustovalov came along, the timber merchant, and she once again fell in love. This changed her life from the theater into a new life of business. Her husbands ideas were hers. If he thought the room was too hot, she thought the same.
Friederick Nietzche once described issues in marriage by, “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendships that makes unhappy marriages” which encompasses many of the difference in the relationship of the two main couples in Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Through the psychology articles and Tolstoy’s specific diction in Anna Karenina, it is easy to see the power of passion in a relationship, even if it is revitalizing passion, will result in suffering and pain without the vital aspects of communication and understanding, which breeds a stable relationship for growing as a couple. The differences in the relationship between Anna and Vronsky and Levin and Kitty are more than just their locations, but the way each relationship grows.
The story “The Darling” by Anton Chekhov, illustrates a woman that is lonely, insecure, and lacking wholeness of oneself without a man in her life. This woman, Olenka, nicknamed “Darling” is compassionate, gentle and sentimental. Olenka is portrayed for being conventional, a woman who is reliant, diligent, and idea less. Although, this story portrays that this woman, known as the Darling needs some sort of male to be emotionally dependant upon, it is as if she is a black widow, she is able to win affection, but without respect. Only able to find happiness through the refection of the beliefs of her lovers, she never evolves within the story.
It seems as if Anton Chekhov is showing in a comical way the struggle of how it can be to separate a person’s wants and needs. Both Ivan and Natalia want to get married but what they actually need is an understanding between one another before they can simply wed. They argue over issues that are ridiculous for an engaged couple to even care about. Anton shows that wants can overpower a person’s needs just upon how the story plays.
Love has been expressed since the beginning of time; since Adam and Eve. Each culture expresses its love in its own special way. Though out history, though, it’s aspect has always been the same. Love has been a major characteristic of literature also. One of the most famous works in literary history is, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This story deals with the love of a man and a woman who’s families have been sworn enemies. There love surpassed the hatred in which the families endured for generations. In the end they both ended up killing their selves, for one could not live without the other. This story is a perfect example of true love.