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A short note on the theme of love in literature
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There exists no power as inexplicable as that of love. Love cannot be described in a traditional fashion; it is something that must be experienced in order for one to truly grasp its full enormity. It is the one emotion that can lead human beings to perform acts they are not usually capable of and to make sacrifices with no thought of the outcome or repercussions. Though love is full of unanswered questions and indescribable emotions, one of the most mystifying aspects of love is its timeless nature. Love is the one emotion, unlike superficial sentiments such as lust or jealousy, which can survive for years, or even generations. In the novel The Gargoyle, the author, Andrew Davidson, explores the idea of eternal love between two people, a union that spans over centuries spent both together and apart. Davidson, through the use of flashbacks, intricate plot development and foreshadowing, and dynamic characterization, creates a story that challenges the reader’s preconceived notions regarding whether eternal love can survive even when time’s inevitable grasp separates the individuals in question.
The story of The Gargoyle introduces the reader to a man whose life has spiralled completely out of control. Abandoned by his father before birth and orphaned when his mother died during delivery, the boy was sent to live with his drug dependent relatives who perished in an explosion when their homemade crystal meth operation combusted. With nowhere to go, the man, still a child at this time, gets put into a children’s home called “Second Chance House”, where he is raised. Upon entering adulthood, he begins his shameless career in the one area in which he excels- having sex. He begins starring in amateur porn movies, but his repu...
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...r that past, when my face was perfect, and when the wind would lift my hair so that it looked like the soft under-feathers of a bird’s wings. I remember when women turned on the streets to smile at me, wondering what it might be like to own my beauty for even one shining moment.” (Davidson, 17) A very detailed description is used simply to describe how the man’s face used to look; giving the reader a perfect opportunity to depict a mental image in their mind of what he may actually have looked like. Davidson never ceases to use fine attention to details throughout the entirety of the novel, and through doing this gives the reader a beautiful mental image of every character mentioned. Creating characters through detailed characteristics and lifelike personalities make relating to the characters more plausible and makes the reader want to learn of their fate.
For instance the first chunk of the passage Richard Matheson operates a series of rhetorical devices to emphasize Robert Neville’s feelings such as , visual imagery and simile in line 1-3 from (He-Eyes) and more visual imagery on lines 4-5 (Robert-arm).Richard Matheson employs simile and visual imagery in a discrete manner and emphasizes that man’s skin to that “clammy turkey skin” and the visual imagery “red-splotched checks, the feverish eyes, “to highlight that Robert Neville is scared of the
Love, partnership and commitment have been the subjects of a multitude of novels, plays poems, movies and great works of art. Throughout these works, the image of love and commitment in love have taken many different forms. Today, we easily recognize symbols of commitment in love to be items such as hearts, wedding bands, roses, etc. However, in literature, especially, more abstract and creative symbols of commitment to a loved one are often present. Additionally, the symbols of devotion that exist in literature do not always involve romantic love as opposed to many movies, painting and sculptures. For example, in the short story, “Saving Sourdi” by May-Lee Chai, symbols of loyalty to a loved one manifest between two sisters. In opposition to symbols of loyalty existing in a platonic manner as it does in “Saving Sourdi,” Peter Meinke’s “The Cranes,” provides symbols of commitment in an amorous relationship.
A prime example of Irving’s emphasis on appearance is that of Tabitha Wheelwright. Tabitha is the mother of John, a boy born out of wedlock. Back in the mid-1900s, this was a rather shameful sin to carry around. There is not a woman that would not be heavily looked down upon for such a disgraceful action; this is, except for Ms. Tabitha Wheelwright. She is such a beautiful and sweet woman that everyone is willing to look passed it. She is even granted the ability to wear white at her wedding to Dan Needham with no confrontation. Someone whom is especially taken by Tabitha’s overall sweetness is Owen Meany. This is ironic seeing as he has the same effect on people. In fact, they are quite stricken by each other. The difference between Owen and Tabitha is that their looks seem to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum. While Tabitha is described as baring unfathomable beauty, Owen is a rather peculiar looking fellow. He is small enough for his classmates to hold over their heads. Even into adulthood John is surprised that he was tall enough to meet the military’s height requirement. His ears are described as being oversized and rubbery. His skin is so pale that he is almost translucent. His overall appearance is so shocking that Hester actually screams the first time that the two meet. While these are all important notes on Owen’s
When we think about the force that holds the world together and what makes humans different from animals, one answer comes to our minds - that humans can love. Love is a state of mind that cannot be defined easily but can be experienced by everyone. Love is very complicated. In fact it is so complicated that a person in love may be misunderstood to be acting in an extremely foolish manner by other people. The complexity of love is displayed in Rostand’s masterpiece drama Cyrano de Bergerac. This is accomplished by two characters that love the same woman and in the course neither one achieves love in utter perfection.
Many hearts are drawn to history's greatest love stories, such as Romeo and Juliet, Bonnie and Clyde, and Helen and Paris to name a few. One could argue that humanity’s way of finding happiness is to seek love. Pure, unadulterated love is one of the hardest feelings to acquire, but when one does, they’d do anything to keep it. Through Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and his characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, readers discover that this innate desire to be accepted and loved is both our most fatal flaw and our greatest virtue.
The novel, The Great Gatsby, is a tragic story of lost love. Gatsby and Daisy are two different people in two different worlds. In their time apart, Gatsby was seeking for the American dream while Daisy was enjoying her riches with Tom. Gatsby is one of a few men who possess the knowledge of the true meaning of love. Love is so powerful and beautiful that Gatsby would do anything and everything to make Daisy his wife. However, love is also a mysterious thing that can turn anything from an everlasting relationship to murder. It turns out that Gatsby, a man with the possession of true love, is the one that suffers the most. Gatsby and Daisy, both represent love in their own unique way. Love could be beautiful but also cruel as the same time.
Cassandra Clare, author of the best-selling novel City of Bones, once wrote, “To love is to destroy, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed”. As an author of a series of young adult books, Clare wishes to send a message to adolescent readers regarding the destruction that young, passionate love can lead to. A similar theme is explored in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where two adolescents from feuding families fall in love with one another. When they first see each other on the night of the Capulet party, they quickly fall in love and are soon married by Romeo’s friend and mentor, Friar Lawrence. Their love, being full of passion in its quick course, faces many trials such as Romeo’s banishment from their hometown of Verona, as well as Juliet being forced to marry Paris, kinsman of the Prince. The affection they feel for one another, being all consuming, often leads them to want to sacrifice everything for each other, including their own lives. Their self-destructive, rushed love ends with their deaths, occurring just a multiple days after they first met. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, many characters such as Friar Lawrence, Romeo, and Juliet illustrate that young, passionate love is a powerful force that leads to destruction.
Since we are kids we are taught the importance and meaning of love. Obviously, when we are kids we don’t realize such a big felling, until we grow up. I would say that love isn’t the feeling of intense hormonal urges; it is much more than that. It’s a real genuine feeling. The intense connection of true love cannot be broken because true love is unconditional and it has no boundaries. I have read many books about love, but in this case this book I would talk about is special because it makes us ask many questions about ourselves. Gabriel Garcia Marquez without writing it in the book Love in the Time of Cholera sets the question how long could we will be willing to wait for love? Since the first moment we open the book we can see it is going to be about love, so after reading some chapters we can ask ourselves about this question, and that obviously traps us. Love in the Time of Cholera is a novel that has a very strong meaning of love, some types of love presented in this books focuses on pure, and innocent, passionate, interested, divided love and among others, but the good thing about these kinds of love is that it gives the readers a teaching.
...spite James Gatz’s fallacies of the traditionally rich, his circus act manages to capture the attention of Daisy and thousands of other guests. While constructing his extraordinary show, he also creates, and becomes, the character of Jay Gatsby. However, Gatsby is no more than - and can never be more than - an illusion designed by Gatz to create an appearance of opulence capable of attaining Tom status and acquiring Daisy. In the end, when Gatz’s circus breaks down, every element of the great Gatsby and his show reveals itself as the guise it all is. Like a circus, Jay Gatsby can only exist temporarily, for if either exists for too long, someone can peek behind the curtain and reveal the numerous allusions, flaws, and lies used to fool crowds into believing in the greatness of the circus.
The Symposium, The Aeneid, and Confessions help demonstrate how the nature of love can be found in several places, whether it is in the mind, the body or the soul. These texts also provide with eye-opening views of love as they adjust our understanding of what love really is. By giving us reformed spectrum of love, one is able to engage in introspective thinking and determine if the things we love are truly worthy of our sentiment.
Time and again, history has created a star-crossed couple that overcomes all obstacles through the strength of love. Whether it is from Pyramus and Thisbe, Romeo and Juliet, or Jack and Rose, the only possibility to separate the couple is the death of one or both individuals. Love is defined in these relationships as fighting against all odds, class, society, and even family, in order to be with their loved one. While these stories may be fictional, history has presented a real case of star-crossed “lovers”, Peter Abelard and Heloise. This couple went to little length to fight society in trying to establish a relationship with one another. Although considered a love story to some, a relationship founded on lust, inability to fight for marriage, and union to the church, shatters the illusion of romance and shows the relationship for what it truly is, a lackluster liaison.
This passage marks the first of several types of love, and gives us an intuitive
Swale, Jill. "Losing grip: Jill Swale considers Ian McEwan's Enduring Love as an expression of postmodern confusion and uncertainty." The English Review 15.3 (2005): 18+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
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.
"Love can bring both joy and pain to human", may that be the message which John Galsworthy wanted to send us- the readers. By using the technique of narrative skillfully, John Galsworthy explored thoroughly the psychology of the characters. Under his pen, appeared lines writing about the wildly passionate love Ashurt had towards Megan, the new sensation internalizing this man when he met Stella and the inner conflict that Ashurt had to experience. When I read this story, I found my own image sometimes like Ashurt, sometimes like Megan, and sometimes like Stella. That is the talent of this Nobel winner!