Love vs Death

LOVE vs DEATH

4/8/12

Dianna O'Briant

I find a theme of love as a death in this last passage, and thru ought this novel. The main instance of course is Cholly’s love for Pecola. In the last couple of paragraphs it is describes as “He… was the one who loved her enough to touch her, envelop her, give something of himself to her. But his touch was fatal”

Even though we understand Cholly’s backstory, and his intentions, he is to blame for some (not all) of the tragedy that unfolds before Pecola and around her.

 “Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people

love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people

love weakly, stupid people love stupidly”

This passage perfectly describes how Cholly “loves” Pecola. He stupidly loved her because all he knew was a “stupid” love. He had no knowledge of how to love, or be loved. There was malice, indifference, and disconcern..

Death as another part of this theme is also surrounding the reader in this novel. Besides the main death of Pecola’s personality, her self confidence, her hopes, wishes, the death in this novel is described in terms of “seeds in Earth.” The seeds as babies, that died in the “unyielding earth.” Not only Pecola’s suicide and murder or herself from the people around her (especially her father) Death and Love come very closely related, and is something I think Pecola rested her only hope into Death…since she was to never know about love.

That having said:

How do you think Pecola kills herself throughout the novel? Was it her not struggling from her father especially after finding out there was a “second time”, Her self-loathing festering so much it turned into self-destruction, or something else?

Is there any solace between love and death for any of these characters? Do you think any of the characters in the end eventually found what they were looking for?