The Love Of My Life Boyle Analysis

Mona Rizzel Palacio

30 September 2015

English 102/Professor Drew

Essay #1 – Revision

Turning Tables

T. Coraghessan Boyle’s short story “The Love of My Life", provides a dark narrative of the responsibilities of life and love. Despite the decline of teenage crimes committed today, it seems to “reflect variations in prevalence rather than the incidence” (Farrington). Boyle uses his story to express that youth, even those who always “hitting the books, studying late, putting everything in place like pegs in a board (Boyle 556)”, is not an exception for committing crimes.

To apprehend how Boyle begins the story by portraying a magical love and finishing it with an unexpected tragedy, let’s take an insight of the descriptive characteristics of the characters in the story. Jeremy and China seem to be the cliché version of a senior couple. “She kissed him—they kissed whenever they met, no matter where or when, even

if one of them had just stepped out of the room, because that was love” (Boyle 555). The reader comes to expect this magical love to stand "unconquerable." They also excel on what they do academically. Though Jeremy is laid back and China is much more focused on her studies, Jeremy is almost as bright as China. She is also spoiled by her parents and they have a huge expectation of her, considering that she has everything planned ahead of her.
The conflict starts when China became pregnant. She does not want anyone to know about her pregnancy and Jeremy does not want to keep the baby. As a middle class person whose parents are expecting a lot from her, it must be very difficult to be in that situation. “The socioeconomic expectations of her class—of his class—and the promise of life as you like it, an inscrolling vista of pleasure and acquisition” (Boyle).
From the time the short story was written – up to this very day, it is evident that teen pregnancy is still on the rise.

“On average, the crime rate increases from the minimum age of criminal responsibility to reach a peak in the teenage years” (Farrington). This short story is exceptionally relevant to today’s society. Through the story, we are able to see and experience the difficulties of dealing with the emotional and physical pains of high school relationships, a pregnancy during freshman year of college, and the confusion of what to do afterwards.

One of the things that Boyle would like to make the readers understand is that, youth should not be an exception to be freed of their crimes but also face the consequences of their actions. In a young age with enough intellectual ability, it is very unlikely to

The reader

Works Cited

Boyle, T. Coraghessan. "The Love of My Life." Making Literature Matter. 6th ed. New York:

Bedford/St Martins. 553-566. Print.

Farrington, David P. "Age and Crime." Crime and Justice 7 (1986): 189. JSTOR. Web. 11

Oct.2015.