Throughout this semester, three different types of love exist in the texts we have read. They include forbidden, unrequited, and true love. However, in each text, these types vary depending on the characters involved.
Forbidden Love:
No, no, no...
Many characters throughout these stories have shown that love can exist outside of society's expectations. Although it may be considered taboo, some of these characters are better off disregarding these expectations. In The Storm, Calixais part of a happy marriage and family, but finds that she needs a little spice in her life. She finds that satisfaction when Alcee protects her during the storm. The fire from their former love was reignited. As the storm passed, so did this fire, and Calixa went back to being happy with her mundane but wholesome marriage. Without the same happy ending, Carolyn, in American Beauty, finds an escape from her miserable life through a typically looked down upon love affair with Buddy King. Leaving Lester behind allowed her to fulfill her need for success. If she had been restrained from Buddy because of what society might think of her, she might not have really found this happiness that she is entitled to. On the other hand, Lester was reborn when he found a forbidden love in the youthful Angela. Although the age gap and his marriage existed, this did not stop him from feeling a revived sense of love. Forbidden for a racial gap instead of an age gap, the love between Huck and Jim is portrayed as very unbecoming of a southerner in the Mark Twain era. Although their love is not sexual, it is still forbidden because slaves were considered inferior people. After spending a great amount of time with Jim, Huck overcame that prejudice and realized what is means to have a true friend. In The Great Gatsby many characters struggle to maintain relationships involving forbidden love. In PassingCatherine comes into direct contatct with the concept of forbidden love. At a time riddled with racism, her husband, John Bellue would have never married an African American woman. In the efforts to rise in social class and conform to this new society Catherine separates herself from her family background. In Six Degrees of Separation,Paul's relationships with other men is forbidden in the perspective of Flan and Ousia. In their sophisitacted society, the idea of homosexuality should be kept quiet and not discussed.
In Brokeback Mountain Ennis and Jackfind their relationship forbidden to society in the way they must hide themselves from being gay. They can only feel comfortable with each other when they spend time isolated in the middle of the wilderness. The burdens of living in accordance to the American standards are difficult and both characters strive to mask their forbidden love by creating a family. The author also works to hide their gay personalities by depicting a very masculine environment and work ethic. Living in the wilderness and taming sheep brings out the manliest attributes however despite in this circumstance, these masculine moments cannot hide their homosexual feelings towards one another.
In Six Degrees of Separation, Paul also finds his homosexual love forbidden in the Kitredge family. Despite his efforts to hide it among his alter ego, he struggles to keep it a secret. On the other hand Paul’s non-sexual love between Flan and Ouisa is also forbidden in the way it crosses between the race and class barrier. Despite his love for them as parents, Flan and Ouisa are afraid to accept him in fear that his friendship might hinder their place in society.
During Gatsbyand Daisy’s youth their relationships was not forbidden. For Gatsby it was ultimately true love at first sight, however because he did not live on long island, he was considered out of society. In his efforts to make money and appeal to her he acts in very forbidden manners. Gambling with Mr. Wolfesheim, rigging the World Series, and attending oxford created a character unappealing to the average person. Despite Gatsby’s efforts to create an idyllic home and lifestyle for Daisy, he finds Daisy involved with her own life. As a married woman with a family living in a strict society, she does not share the same obsession towards Gatsby. Their relationship is forbidden for two reasons. First off, Daisy is already married and living a “happy life”. It would be horrible for Gatsby to interfere with their marriage and pull Tom and Daisy apart. On the other hand, besides Gatsby’s pure love for Daisy, the motives for Gatsby’s relationships also comes down to the idea that he can enter the West Egg society through this relationship.
True Love:
The reason that Huck and Jim's love perservered over society's prejudice is because they found a true connection with each other. Over the course of their escape from Missouri, Huck and Jim had to put a lot of trust into oneanother because of the danger that they were in. Since Huck was assisting Jim to escape, he was as much as a criminal in society's eyes as Jim was. This puts them at the same level and thus made the status difference disappear.
Although at first Jane finds herself threatened by the stalker like qualities of Ricky, in time true love exists between Jane and Ricky in American beauty because both characters are equally invested into their relationship. Ricky provides Jane with a perspective out of her confined world. He helps her to recognize the important values and relationship in her life. Their relationships allows her to look out of her window into the greater world, to see beyond the superficial aspects of her society and family and identify what she really wants.
Unrequited Love:
In the Yellow Wallpaper, the woman stuck in the room finds herself madly in love with her husband while he continues his daily life without her. In many ways in the eyes of the man he views their relationship more as an experiment in the way he tests different solutions to cure her "disease". He doesn't make the effort to provide emotional support or an open ear in the way the wife needs it. In many ways, their unhealthy relationship is a key factor in her illness. Nick and Jordan in The Great Gatsby also shares a relationship where Nick finds himself madly in love with Jordan as she continues a life without the same focus on their relationship. As a professional golfer and a member of the "society" she has other distractions in her life. While Nick tires to find distractions and fill his life with meaningful relationships he relies too much on their relationship ultimately leaving him feeling isolated and abandonded. Similarly, the relationship between Gatsby and Daisey is ultimately one-sided. In their youth, the two were lovebirds. However, after breaking her promise not to marry until Gatsby returns from war, Daisey seemed to pour her affection in the direction of her new husband, Tom. Tom is a materialistic and arrogant member of the high class and Jay Gatsby finds himself competing with him to win back Daisey's interest. At times, it seems as if he may be on the track to success, but in the end Gatsby's unfledging love and persistent persual of Daisey were not repayed. In The Road, the only apparent unrequited love is in a unique form: between the Boy and the world/other humans. A very optimistic and idealistic child, the Boy expresses his trust in the post apocalyptic world in numerous philosophical debates with the Man. The Man takes a more realistic angle; claiming that every man is responsible for fending for himself and there is no hope of companionship. Also, the Man sometimes confesses that he does not believe their fight against the apocalypse will end well. The Boy, on the other hand, suggests trusting his fellow man and having hope that the good in people will prevail over the evils in their decrepit world. In a way, the Boy is showing love towards the world he lives in and the other people who live in it. However, the thing that makes this love unrequited is that the people who the Boy is so willing to trust and love turn out to be like what the Man thinks: cruel, brutal and only interested in survival by any means necessary. The innocent, and arguably naïve, Boy witnesses roving bands of survivors who have sex slaves, old rogues who will easily jump at the chance to mooch food off of him, and houses with naked prisoners locked in the basement until they are savagely eaten. Other people show the Boy no love in return for his unwavering optimism.
Could You Be Loved?
"Could You be Loved?" by Bob Marley embodies the concept of true love prevailing over forbidden love. The soulful ditty is asking "could you be loved?" which relates to the themes of taboo love in our studied pieces this year. Characters such as Jay Gatsby (Great Gatsby), Colonel Fitts, Lester (American Beauty), Huck and Jim (The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn), Paul (Six Degrees of Separation), and Jack and Ennis (Brokeback Mountain) struggle with the question "Could You Be Loved?". They all experience moments when they wonder if the love that they feel is right and if it can go on in the face of society's condemnation.
Particularly: Jay Gatsby
Gatsby struggles with the class division and the materialism that seperates him and the love of his youth, Daisey. He must wonder 'could you be loved?' during his many lonely years trying to win Daisey's love back from Tom, the arrogant and materialistic man who she married. Colonel Fitts
Colonel Fitts is a closet homosexual in the worst kind of way. Not only does he supress his true feelings and live a lie in an unhappy marriage, but he does so by expressing intense homophobia. He constantly accuses his son Ricky of being gay and at the same time, conveys an apparent disdain for the fact. It turns out that Ricky is not even gay after all, and the constant abuse from his father not only was very unhealthy for him and their relationship, but undeserved in the sense of a false accusation. Additionally, it turns out that Col. Fitts is gay and will go to the lengths of murdering the only man who knew (Lester) just to keep his secret. Lester
In Lester's situation, the object of his question "could you be loved?" is a teenage friend of his daughters. This love is very controvertial in society and this tension is portrayed in the movie through his daughters knowledge of Lester's desires and her disgust which she makes very clear. He asks the big question constantly throughout the movie as he contemplates whether or not to act on his emotions and, in the end, he decides not to. Huck
For Huck, the question "could you be loved?" resonates particularly with his relationship with Jim. Although their relationship is not sexual, their friendship is looked down upon because of the fact that Jim is black and a slave and Huck is white. At first, Huck is a little distant; he is hesitant to befriend a man who he has been taught it is wrong to befriend. He even plays some mean pranks on Jim and even leaves him behind for fate to do with him what it pleases during some of their more dangerous escapades. However, towards the latter part of the story, Huck and Jim really bond while they are on the run together. After witnessing repeated selfless acts on Jim's part, Huck realizes that it is not so wrong to love Jim because he is black or because he is a slave. He sees clearly that Jim is a better person than many of the other characters in the book. At the end of the novel, Huck and Jim's friendship is so strong that it seems Huck never even had to ask the question "could you be loved?" Jim
For Jim, the question "could you be loved?" is almost rhetorical. He never, at least apparently, asks himself that question regarding Huck or even Tom. Jim is a kind soul who loves his pal Huck with all his heart. This immense companionship is shown time after time by Mark Twain. For example, when they are on the raft and Jim stays up all night, covering Huck's shift to stay on guard, just to give his little buddy some more sleep. Jim even stays loyal and does not question Tom's motives or recklessness when his plans put Jim in a dark shack, locked up with snakes and make him write with his own blood as ink. Jim does not think twice and assumes the best of Tom, thinking that he would know better since he is a white person, after all. Maybe Jim's quickness to trust and love these people are because of society's prejudices which instill the thought of a superior, more knowledgeable white man who would know better but also it undoubtedly has its roots in Jim's personality as a harmless and loving person in general. Paul
The context of the question for Paul is unique to his character. In his case, Paul wonders if he could be loved by the Kittridge family. While many other characters in the pieces our class has covered wonder about a forbidden or taboo love, none of them are quite like Paul. On one hand, Paul struggles with the idea of homosexuality. At first, with Trent Conway's advances, Paul is hesitant and almost put off by the idea. However, he does not take long (within the same scene) to get on board with the idea. Although he immediately doesn't jump into full-fledged homosexuality, Paul strips for Trent in order to get information: a big step toward his ultimate sexuality.
Paul does away with the question in terms of homosexuality quickly, however he struggles throughout Six Degrees of Separation with the concept of being loved by a family. Paul reaches out to Flan and Ousia Kittridge, begging to be loved. Particularly, he reaches out to Ouisa, who he sees as a more viable candidate for removal from the materialistic lifestyle. In the end, Paul does not get the answer he wanted. Ouisa betrays his location to the police, and is thus responsible for his lonely arrest and detainment. This betrayal is the opposite of what she promised him; to take him in to the police station and pull some strings so that he will be held "with dignity". This betrayal is a denial of Paul's probing for love.
In the end, Bob Marley's thoughtful lyrics "Don't let them fool you, or even try to school you. We've got a mind of our own, so go to hell if what you're thinking is not right! Love would never leave us alone. In the darkness there must come out to light" prevail.
External Links
How to Breath Underwater http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400034369&view=rg
This article talks about many different themes that appear in How to Beath Underwater, such as the idea of love that is implied in the title of "Care" as well as the relationship between Lucy and Melissa in "Stars of Motown Shining Bright."
Different Kinds of Love
Fiona, Mike, Alex
Throughout this semester, three different types of love exist in the texts we have read. They include forbidden, unrequited, and true love. However, in each text, these types vary depending on the characters involved.
Forbidden Love:
Many characters throughout these stories have shown that love can exist outside of society's expectations. Although it may be considered taboo, some of these characters are better off disregarding these expectations. In The Storm, Calixa is part of a happy marriage and family, but finds that she needs a little spice in her life. She finds that satisfaction when Alcee protects her during the storm. The fire from their former love was reignited. As the storm passed, so did this fire, and Calixa went back to being happy with her mundane but wholesome marriage. Without the same happy ending, Carolyn, in American Beauty, finds an escape from her miserable life through a typically looked down upon love affair with Buddy King. Leaving Lester behind allowed her to fulfill her need for success. If she had been restrained from Buddy because of what society might think of her, she might not have really found this happiness that she is entitled to. On the other hand, Lester was reborn when he found a forbidden love in the youthful Angela. Although the age gap and his marriage existed, this did not stop him from feeling a revived sense of love. Forbidden for a racial gap instead of an age gap, the love between Huck and Jim is portrayed as very unbecoming of a southerner in the Mark Twain era. Although their love is not sexual, it is still forbidden because slaves were considered inferior people. After spending a great amount of time with Jim, Huck overcame that prejudice and realized what is means to have a true friend. In The Great Gatsby many characters struggle to maintain relationships involving forbidden love. In Passing Catherine comes into direct contatct with the concept of forbidden love. At a time riddled with racism, her husband, John Bellue would have never married an African American woman. In the efforts to rise in social class and conform to this new society Catherine separates herself from her family background. In Six Degrees of Separation, Paul's relationships with other men is forbidden in the perspective of Flan and Ousia. In their sophisitacted society, the idea of homosexuality should be kept quiet and not discussed.
In Brokeback Mountain Ennis and Jack find their relationship forbidden to society in the way they must hide themselves from being gay. They can only feel comfortable with each other when they spend time isolated in the middle of the wilderness. The burdens of living in accordance to the American standards are difficult and both characters strive to mask their forbidden love by creating a family. The author also works to hide their gay personalities by depicting a very masculine environment and work ethic. Living in the wilderness and taming sheep brings out the manliest attributes however despite in this circumstance, these masculine moments cannot hide their homosexual feelings towards one another.
In Six Degrees of Separation, Paul also finds his homosexual love forbidden in the Kitredge family. Despite his efforts to hide it among his alter ego, he struggles to keep it a secret. On the other hand Paul’s non-sexual love between Flan and Ouisa is also forbidden in the way it crosses between the race and class barrier. Despite his love for them as parents, Flan and Ouisa are afraid to accept him in fear that his friendship might hinder their place in society.
During Gatsby and Daisy’s youth their relationships was not forbidden. For Gatsby it was ultimately true love at first sight, however because he did not live on long island, he was considered out of society. In his efforts to make money and appeal to her he acts in very forbidden manners. Gambling with Mr. Wolfesheim, rigging the World Series, and attending oxford created a character unappealing to the average person. Despite Gatsby’s efforts to create an idyllic home and lifestyle for Daisy, he finds Daisy involved with her own life. As a married woman with a family living in a strict society, she does not share the same obsession towards Gatsby. Their relationship is forbidden for two reasons. First off, Daisy is already married and living a “happy life”. It would be horrible for Gatsby to interfere with their marriage and pull Tom and Daisy apart. On the other hand, besides Gatsby’s pure love for Daisy, the motives for Gatsby’s relationships also comes down to the idea that he can enter the West Egg society through this relationship.
True Love:
The reason that Huck and Jim's love perservered over society's prejudice is because they found a true connection with each other. Over the course of their escape from Missouri, Huck and Jim had to put a lot of trust into oneanother because of the danger that they were in. Since Huck was assisting Jim to escape, he was as much as a criminal in society's eyes as Jim was. This puts them at the same level and thus made the status difference disappear.
Although at first Jane finds herself threatened by the stalker like qualities of Ricky, in time true love exists between Jane and Ricky in American beauty because both characters are equally invested into their relationship. Ricky provides Jane with a perspective out of her confined world. He helps her to recognize the important values and relationship in her life. Their relationships allows her to look out of her window into the greater world, to see beyond the superficial aspects of her society and family and identify what she really wants.
Unrequited Love:
In the Yellow Wallpaper, the woman stuck in the room finds herself madly in love with her husband while he continues his daily life without her. In many ways in the eyes of the man he views their relationship more as an experiment in the way he tests different solutions to cure her "disease". He doesn't make the effort to provide emotional support or an open ear in the way the wife needs it. In many ways, their unhealthy relationship is a key factor in her illness.
Nick and Jordan in The Great Gatsby also shares a relationship where Nick finds himself madly in love with Jordan as she continues a life without the same focus on their relationship. As a professional golfer and a member of the "society" she has other distractions in her life. While Nick tires to find distractions and fill his life with meaningful relationships he relies too much on their relationship ultimately leaving him feeling isolated and abandonded. Similarly, the relationship between Gatsby and Daisey is ultimately one-sided. In their youth, the two were lovebirds. However, after breaking her promise not to marry until Gatsby returns from war, Daisey seemed to pour her affection in the direction of her new husband, Tom. Tom is a materialistic and arrogant member of the high class and Jay Gatsby finds himself competing with him to win back Daisey's interest. At times, it seems as if he may be on the track to success, but in the end Gatsby's unfledging love and persistent persual of Daisey were not repayed.
In The Road, the only apparent unrequited love is in a unique form: between the Boy and the world/other humans. A very optimistic and idealistic child, the Boy expresses his trust in the post apocalyptic world in numerous philosophical debates with the Man. The Man takes a more realistic angle; claiming that every man is responsible for fending for himself and there is no hope of companionship. Also, the Man sometimes confesses that he does not believe their fight against the apocalypse will end well. The Boy, on the other hand, suggests trusting his fellow man and having hope that the good in people will prevail over the evils in their decrepit world. In a way, the Boy is showing love towards the world he lives in and the other people who live in it. However, the thing that makes this love unrequited is that the people who the Boy is so willing to trust and love turn out to be like what the Man thinks: cruel, brutal and only interested in survival by any means necessary. The innocent, and arguably naïve, Boy witnesses roving bands of survivors who have sex slaves, old rogues who will easily jump at the chance to mooch food off of him, and houses with naked prisoners locked in the basement until they are savagely eaten. Other people show the Boy no love in return for his unwavering optimism.
Could You Be Loved?
"Could You be Loved?" by Bob Marley embodies the concept of true love prevailing over forbidden love. The soulful ditty is asking "could you be loved?" which relates to the themes of taboo love in our studied pieces this year. Characters such as Jay Gatsby (Great Gatsby), Colonel Fitts, Lester (American Beauty), Huck and Jim (The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn), Paul (Six Degrees of Separation), and Jack and Ennis (Brokeback Mountain) struggle with the question "Could You Be Loved?". They all experience moments when they wonder if the love that they feel is right and if it can go on in the face of society's condemnation.
Particularly:
Jay Gatsby
Gatsby struggles with the class division and the materialism that seperates him and the love of his youth, Daisey. He must wonder 'could you be loved?' during his many lonely years trying to win Daisey's love back from Tom, the arrogant and materialistic man who she married.
Colonel Fitts
Colonel Fitts is a closet homosexual in the worst kind of way. Not only does he supress his true feelings and live a lie in an unhappy marriage, but he does so by expressing intense homophobia. He constantly accuses his son Ricky of being gay and at the same time, conveys an apparent disdain for the fact. It turns out that Ricky is not even gay after all, and the constant abuse from his father not only was very unhealthy for him and their relationship, but undeserved in the sense of a false accusation. Additionally, it turns out that Col. Fitts is gay and will go to the lengths of murdering the only man who knew (Lester) just to keep his secret.
Lester
In Lester's situation, the object of his question "could you be loved?" is a teenage friend of his daughters. This love is very controvertial in society and this tension is portrayed in the movie through his daughters knowledge of Lester's desires and her disgust which she makes very clear. He asks the big question constantly throughout the movie as he contemplates whether or not to act on his emotions and, in the end, he decides not to.
Huck
For Huck, the question "could you be loved?" resonates particularly with his relationship with Jim. Although their relationship is not sexual, their friendship is looked down upon because of the fact that Jim is black and a slave and Huck is white. At first, Huck is a little distant; he is hesitant to befriend a man who he has been taught it is wrong to befriend. He even plays some mean pranks on Jim and even leaves him behind for fate to do with him what it pleases during some of their more dangerous escapades. However, towards the latter part of the story, Huck and Jim really bond while they are on the run together. After witnessing repeated selfless acts on Jim's part, Huck realizes that it is not so wrong to love Jim because he is black or because he is a slave. He sees clearly that Jim is a better person than many of the other characters in the book. At the end of the novel, Huck and Jim's friendship is so strong that it seems Huck never even had to ask the question "could you be loved?"
Jim
For Jim, the question "could you be loved?" is almost rhetorical. He never, at least apparently, asks himself that question regarding Huck or even Tom. Jim is a kind soul who loves his pal Huck with all his heart. This immense companionship is shown time after time by Mark Twain. For example, when they are on the raft and Jim stays up all night, covering Huck's shift to stay on guard, just to give his little buddy some more sleep. Jim even stays loyal and does not question Tom's motives or recklessness when his plans put Jim in a dark shack, locked up with snakes and make him write with his own blood as ink. Jim does not think twice and assumes the best of Tom, thinking that he would know better since he is a white person, after all. Maybe Jim's quickness to trust and love these people are because of society's prejudices which instill the thought of a superior, more knowledgeable white man who would know better but also it undoubtedly has its roots in Jim's personality as a harmless and loving person in general.
Paul
The context of the question for Paul is unique to his character. In his case, Paul wonders if he could be loved by the Kittridge family. While many other characters in the pieces our class has covered wonder about a forbidden or taboo love, none of them are quite like Paul. On one hand, Paul struggles with the idea of homosexuality. At first, with Trent Conway's advances, Paul is hesitant and almost put off by the idea. However, he does not take long (within the same scene) to get on board with the idea. Although he immediately doesn't jump into full-fledged homosexuality, Paul strips for Trent in order to get information: a big step toward his ultimate sexuality.
Paul does away with the question in terms of homosexuality quickly, however he struggles throughout Six Degrees of Separation with the concept of being loved by a family. Paul reaches out to Flan and Ousia Kittridge, begging to be loved. Particularly, he reaches out to Ouisa, who he sees as a more viable candidate for removal from the materialistic lifestyle. In the end, Paul does not get the answer he wanted. Ouisa betrays his location to the police, and is thus responsible for his lonely arrest and detainment. This betrayal is the opposite of what she promised him; to take him in to the police station and pull some strings so that he will be held "with dignity". This betrayal is a denial of Paul's probing for love.
In the end, Bob Marley's thoughtful lyrics "Don't let them fool you, or even try to school you. We've got a mind of our own, so go to hell if what you're thinking is not right! Love would never leave us alone. In the darkness there must come out to light" prevail.
External Links
How to Breath Underwater
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400034369&view=rg
This article talks about many different themes that appear in How to Beath Underwater, such as the idea of love that is implied in the title of "Care" as well as the relationship between Lucy and Melissa in "Stars of Motown Shining Bright."
http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/huck.html
--Talks briefly about the theme of love throughout Huck Finn
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=16697
--Good essay about Jim's representation of love throughout Huck Finn
http://www.helium.com/items/753511-the-role-of-love-in-literature
--Article about love in literature and the role it has.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_theory_of_love
--Article about the triangular theory for different types of love