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Love in Literature

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Love in Literature
We live in a complex world, where love and logic do not always exist cohesively, however, literature often brings these two elements together. Authors sometimes use the concept of love as a theme for their work, logically, and methodically using it as a tool in their writing. The different forms of love are often used by authors as a catalyst for positive character development. In this essay, works by different authors will be used to demonstrate some of the forms of love used in literature.
In Simon May’s “Love: A History”, May mentions agape love, defining it, stating that “This love is compassionate and giving: the love of neighbor shown by the Good Samaritan” (May pg.177). The use of agape love as a catalyst for …show more content…

In the story, Nora Helmer, a married young woman tries to hide her one act of deceitfulness from her husband. Her act of deceitfulness however is actually an act of selflessness, towards her husband, but when the deceit is revealed he shuns her. His act of shunning her brought her to the realization that there was no love in their relationship. What she assumed was love, was not, and this prompts her to reconsider her life. Nora understands that all her life she has been told what to think by men, and that all her life she has been depending on men. It is in the moment when she recognizes that her husband does not deserve a pedestal, and she also realizes that she needs to love herself so that she can understand the world around her. At the end of the story Nora decides to leave her husband and children behind so that she can discover who she is as a person and figure out the world around her. Although, in society’s terms, leaving ones children behind is unsavory, I believe that her act of leaving the family is heroic, and sets an example for her daughter.
Although love is not the only element used in literature to induce positive change in a character, it is a tried and true method of doing so. Carver’s “Cathedral” shows a great example of agape love, on human being showing kindness to another, which, ironically is a blind man is helping a sighted man to see. While in Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” we see the act of brotherly love, transforming a

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