Love

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and compares two tales that illustrate how the power of love can often move people to do unexpected things: Anton Chekhov's play, "The Brute" and William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily". The paper explains how in "The Brute", love seems to appear out of nowhere, hidden beneath a false animosity. The paper contrasts this with "A Rose for Emily", where a more ugly side of love is evident, that drives a woman to kill just so she can have what she wants. The paper examines each story to illustrate an example of how love can drive people to act in crazy ways. The paper explores how Chekhov and Faulkner demonstrate how love truly does have a mind of its own and that sometimes people are victims of love through no fault of their own.

From the Paper:

"In The Brute, when we are introduced to Smirnov and Mrs. Popov, they are literally at each other's throats. The longer they speak with each other, the more hostile they become. Smirnov only grows more agitated when he realizes that Mrs. Popov cannot pay him and threatens that he will "stay right here till she pays up" (Chekhov 1099). To add to the drama, he complains of becoming ill. As things progress, the two are squabbling like children, throwing insults back and forth at each other. As their conversation moves toward love, Smirnov says, "Don't tell me I don't know how to love . . . For a man, love is suffering, love is sacrifice. A woman just swishes her train around and tightens her grip on your nose" (1101-2). In response to this, Mrs. Popov retorts that she "shall wear mourning till the day I, too, am called to my eternal rest" (1102). By having the two argue this way, Chekhov is creating the perfect atmosphere for two unlikely victims to fall in love."

More papers on Love:

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• Essay # 137275 : "Romantic Love in Plato and Solomon"
• Analytical Essay # 9239 : "Courtly Love and Popular Culture"
• Analytical Essay # 71130 : "Forms of Love"

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