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Sarah Cole : a Type of Love Story

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Warren Hoang Professor B. Lewis English 1A 3 October 2012 Opposite ends of the same stick In “Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story” by Russell Banks, the main character Ron believing himself to be so much more above the woman he once dated because of his great looks. Ron was a successful lawyer in the state of New Hampshire when he met a woman named Sarah Cole. Except there was a catch—Sarah Cole was the most homely woman Ron had ever seen. Despite that, Ron and Sarah eventually engage in a relationship that would soon take a turn for the worst. Now, 10 years later, Ron tries to relive those past events with Sarah, to figure out what if what he had done to Sarah was wrong. Ron comes to the conclusion that he mistreated Sarah because he was so …show more content…

Ron was so blinded by his obsession over his seemingly perfect demeanor and stunning good looks that he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that this lowly woman, Sarah, could steal his heart and take him on such a roller coaster ride of emotion. So much to the point where a decade later, he has to look back on those events from start to finish, slowly and thoroughly so he could dissect how he could have been so oblivious to his own narcissism. The narrator, Ron, is frequently reflecting on his past actions with Sarah as he tells the story because of his current conflicting morale about whether or not what he did was morally right or wrong. I listened as eagerly and carefully as I had before, again, with the same motives, to keep her in front of me, to draw her forward from the context of her life and place her, as if she were an object, into the context of mine. I did not know how cruel this was. When you have never done a thing before and that thing is not simply and clearly right or wrong, you frequently do not know if it is a cruel thing, you just go ahead and do it, and maybe later you'll be able to determine whether you acted cruelly (5). Ron admits that what he had done was wrong—treating Sarah as if she were an object, a mere toy for his enjoyment. However he claims that at the time, he was unaware of just how cruel he was being, stating that he’s never done it before. But through this admission, it becomes apparent that Ron looks back on his actions

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