Love is an art that is known to thrive even in the most unlikely circumstances. This is because it has the capabilities to develop wings and soaring high above such hindrances that can hamstring it. The love between two individuals can only stand the test of trials if it is deeply rooted in their hearts and not based on temporary gains (Hicks 286).
This essay seeks to attest that indeed love has the capability of thriving under unfavorable conditions. This will be done using substantial evidence from these three texts: “Wuthering Heights”, “Virgin Suicides” and “One Day.” Furthermore, the essay will discuss the reason why people with different characteristics fall and eventually remain in love.
In “Wuthering Heights,” there are a good number of incidences of true love. First and foremost, whatever Heathcliff and Catherine possess is pure love. The fact that they naturally grow fond of each other without having to force themselves on each other lends credence to this statement. Their love is not based on any materialistic thing. During their youthful years together, they came to learn the habits of each other.
They grow fond of each other that a day can hardly pass without the two spending time together in seclusion. This is substantial evidence that Heathcliff and Catherine were truly in love. True love binds two people together and makes them to find pleasure while in the company of each other. Therefore, the fact that Heathcliff and Catherine often spend time together is an indication of true love.
Three years after their separation, Heathcliff shows that he still loves Catherine by seeking revenge against Edgar for marrying his lover. His action can only portend that the love he has for Catherine is deeply rooted in his heart and not even such a long period of separation can take it away.
His quest for retaliation against Edgar also shows that he never recovered from the loss of Catherine. One can read Heathcliff’s pain and frustration through his desperate actions to get even with Edgar. He therefore elopes with Isabella, Edgar’s sister. It is appalling that he does this not because he loves Isabella, but to hurt Edgar and make him feel the way he does.
Finally, Catherine’s death leaves Heathcliff a lonely man for the rest of his life. This is evident in the first chapter when he says “Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house.” (Bronte 12). It is obvious that things would have been better if Catherine was still alive and married to him.
Catherine also shows her love for Heathcliff in various ways. First, she confesses to Ellen that even though she is going to marry Edgar, she actually loves Heathcliff. It is not an easy matter for Catherine to confess such a controversial feeling to Ellen. The fact that she can confess her love for Heathcliff openly in spite of his social status shows that she truly loves him. Instead of feeling ashamed about her love for Heathcliff, Catherine shows that she cherishes it by disclosing it to Bella.
Catherine also becomes worried and distressed when she learns of Heathcliff’s disappearance. She is very troubled and blames herself for his disappearance. The love that she feels for him can also be observed at this point. Had the love not been true, Catherine would be rejoicing that Heathcliff has given her a good chance to get married to Edgar without feeling guilty. However, the fact that she wants Heathcliff back shows that she loved him so much.
Lastly, Catherine indicates that she still loves Heathcliff by being extremely delighted to see him even after her three years of marriage. His appearance brings back light moments that she had spent with him in their youthful years. It also rejuvenates in her the love that still exists between them. Edgar’s now high social status also impresses Catherine. Had she been aware of such an imminent achievement by Edgar three years earlier, then she definitely would have married him instead of Edgar.
In “Virgin Suicides,” true love is observed when the narrators are so much in love with the five sisters that they are ever looking out for them. The narrators are also in grief when they learn of the death of Cecilia and the subsequent deaths of the other four sisters. This love is also shown where the boys make regular calls to the girls and play records for them over the telephone. It is amazing that the boys’ love for the girls still exists even in this circumstance where they are utterly separated.
It is also observable that true love manifests itself through the narrators’ naivety. Their innocence about love makes it to play a major role in their relationship with the five girls of the Lisbon family. It is obvious that the attraction between the narrators and the girls is orchestrated by love. This love makes them go beyond all odds just in a bid to get in touch with the girls. The effect of love is also evident through the way the narrators feel excited and elated at the sight or voice of the five sisters.
Lastly, the narrators find it difficult to accept the death of the girls hence portraying true love. The love that is alive in them does not die even after losing their loved ones. First, the death of Cecilia does not daunt the love that the narrators feel for the other four girls. In a normal setting, such a death would have staved off any love that the narrators would be feeling for the girls.
Instead, their love lives on even after witnessing the deaths of those who are supposed to be recipients of this love. One would think that the love they have gives them a false hope of meeting the girls again.
In “One Day,” there is true love between Emma and Dexter. Even though the two characters take time to confess their feelings for each other, the true love exists deep inside them until they confess it much later. Their love is so great that although they get involved in relationships with other people, they are aware that they only love each other. Dexter’s love for Emma is echoed in his futile attempts to suppress it. On the other hand, Emma portrays his love for Dexter when she feels disappointed by his plans to have a wedding.
The strength of the love between Dexter and Emma is also portrayed through the boomeranging effects in their attempts to cover it up. Instead of managing to successfully hide their love for each other, they go ahead to expose it. Dexter indulges into drug addiction while Emma gets in multiple unfruitful relationships.
Throughout the period that the two lovers know each other, it is amazing that their love does not subside until the time they confess it to each other. Furthermore, their frustrations about life do not end until this time when they speak about the love they have held for each other for a very long time. The fact that the unraveling of their love puts an end to their miseries shows that their love was strong and true.
Furthermore, the relationship that ensues between Dexter and Emma is different from other relationships that each has ever been involved in. Even though “It would be inappropriate, undignified, at thirty-eight, to conduct friendships or love affairs with the ardor and intensity of a twenty-two-year-old,” (Nicholls 382), the opposite is true for Dexter and Emma. This also shows how strong their love was.
One interesting fact about love is that it makes one to overlook the outward flaws and focus on love itself. It is therefore common to come across two lovers who are ostensibly different but who are deeply in love. This is the situation that is evident in the eight texts named above.
In “Wuthering Heights,” Catherine falls in love with Heathcliff even though he is illiterate and poor. Because she has grown up with him most of the time, Catherine is actually aware that Heathcliff is not learned and that he does not have a high social status. However, she still goes ahead to fall in love with him. This is because love does not make a choice on the basis of outward qualities. Catherine would have certainly chosen Heathcliff had she been wealthier and in a position to support both of them.
In “Virgin Suicides,” the narrators fall in love with the sisters even though they are the talk of the neighborhood. While other people try to avoid the Lisbon family because of their oddity, the five narrators make an effort to communicate with the girls. This simply indicates that love does not choose the kind of people to bring together. Under normal circumstances, the narrators would not have wanted anything to do with the Lisbon family, but because it is the love within them that is at work, they are obliged to dance to its tune.
The narrators’ love does not give them room to cogitate on the weaknesses of the girls. Instead, all they think of are the girls’ strengths such as beauty and loveliness. The narrators are actually aware of numerous flaws possessed by the girls, but they prefer to ignore them. For instance, one of the narrators admits that, “It is sad to think about those girls.” (Eugenides 19).
The fact that the narrators prefer to pay attention to the good side of the five girls and overlook their weaknesses also portends the love they felt for them. It is a love that does not dwell on trivial shortcomings of the five girls. Instead, it is predominantly concerned with finding a way for itself and to permeate deeper into the lives of the loved ones.
The naivety of the narrators about love also shows that love permeates even those who do not have the slightest idea about its effects. The narrators exhibit the effects of love but are not aware that whatever they feel is called love. The same naivety is also evident on the side of the girls. They are not in a position to discern the fact that the boys are also in love with them. The naivety of both parties makes the manifestation of love amongst them to be even more conspicuous and real.
In “One Day,” Dexter and Emma are aware that each of them is involved in sexual relationships with other people. However, this reality does not waft away the love that they feel for each other. Furthermore, the two are aware of each other’s weaknesses. While Emma is a low income earner, Dexter is an alcoholic and a drug addict. The fact that they still fall in love means that love overlooks the shortcomings of partners and instead focuses on giving them the best.
In conclusion, it can be inferred from the foregoing discussion that love can overcome any barrier and find its way in which to manifest in the lovers’ lives. In addition to that, love brings together individuals who may be having diverse characteristics and personalities and binds them into one thing.
This is evidenced from the various ample circumstances that have been given from the three texts that have been discussed in this essay. The type of love described in the texts is a prototype one that thrives under any conditions and irrespective of the differences between the partners in the love relationship. The kind of love portrayed is therefore one of a kind and one that stands the test of time. It therefore cannot be challenged or questioned.
Works Cited
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. London: Thomas Cautley Newby, 1847. Print.
Eugenides, Jeffrey. Virgin Suicides. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993. Print.
Hicks, Patricia. Tests, Trials and Testimonies. New York: Xulon Press, 2011. Print.
Nicholls, David. One Day. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2009. Print.