essay for love cycle

The Love Cycle Poem Summary: A Journey Through the Stages of Love

Post author: Effective Quote
Post published: September 25, 2023
Post category: Poem Summary
Post comments: 0 Comments

The “Love Cycle” poem is a masterful exploration of the intricate dance of love that many experience in their lifetimes. The poem parallels nature’s seasons and underscores the cyclical nature of human emotions and relationships. While each love story is unique, universal themes resonate with most, if not all, who have ever been in love. Here is the detailed The Love Cycle Poem Summary

1. The Spark of Attraction

First glance.

The poem captures the magnetic pull between two individuals when their worlds first collide. This fleeting yet unforgettable moment is described with vivid imagery, drawing comparisons to a sudden lightning strike or the bloom of a rare flower. It’s a moment of pure potential where anything seems possible.

Flirtation and Courtship

The energy of new love is palpable in these verses. The poet beautifully illustrates the dance of getting to know someone—the nervous excitement, the anticipation of each meeting, and the playful teasing. There’s magic in the uncertainty, where every interaction is a step into the unknown.

2. Deepening Bonds

Getting to know each other.

As the initial euphoria settles, the lovers transition into a phase of deeper understanding. The poem highlights the beauty of discovering shared dreams, understanding each other’s fears, and finding solace in mutual vulnerabilities. It’s a poignant reminder that true love is built on a foundation of trust and openness.

Overcoming Challenges

No love story is without its storms. The poem discusses the inevitable disagreements and misunderstandings that challenge the relationship’s foundation. Yet, it also emphasizes the growth that comes from navigating these challenges together, forging a stronger and more resilient bond.

3. Commitment and Stability

Deciding to stay together.

Reaching a crossroads, the lovers must confront the reality of their relationship. The poem delves into the weight of this decision, juxtaposing the fear of the unknown with the comfort of shared history. Ultimately, the choice to continue the journey together signifies a profound commitment.

The Comfort of Familiarity

In these verses, the poet celebrates the beauty of the mundane—the quiet mornings, the shared jokes, and the unspoken understanding that develops over time. It’s a tribute to the depth of love that can turn the most ordinary moments into cherished memories.

4. The Inevitable Ebb and Flow

Moments of doubt.

Even the strongest relationships aren’t immune to moments of uncertainty. The poem delves into these periods of introspection, addressing the fears and insecurities that can cloud judgment. Yet, it also underscores the importance of self-awareness and communication during these times.

Rekindling the Flame

Passion, though it may wane, can always be reignited. The poem offers a hopeful message, showcasing how lovers can rediscover the spark that brought them together. Whether through shared adventures or simple acts of love, the flame of passion can burn brightly once more.

5. Everlasting Love

Growing old together.

The poem paints a serene picture of two souls weathered by time yet undiminished in their love for each other. They reminisce, savour the present, and dream of the future, their bond unbreakable.

The Legacy of Love

Concluding on a poignant note, the poem speaks to the indelible mark left by a lifetime of love. Beyond the two lovers, their story becomes a beacon for future generations—a testament to the enduring nature of love and the lessons it imparts.

Conclusion on The Love Cycle Poem Summary

“Love Cycle” is more than just a poem; it reflects the human experience, capturing the highs and lows of love with grace and empathy. Through its verses, readers are transported on a journey that, while deeply personal, is also universally relatable.

Good morrow summary, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

We're Hiring!
Help Center

Brief Notes on Love Cycle a Poem by Chinua Achebe

Related Papers

Cyber Literature

Chhote lal Khatri

Cyber Literature, a bi-annual journal of English studies with ISSN: 0972-0901, launched in 1997.

Cyber Publication House

Cyber Literature, a bi-annual journal of English studies. This issue comprises of 8 research papers, some of them are: Posthuman Conceptions, The Wounded Psyche, Language and ideology in Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and more. There are 8 poems with varied themes and 10 book reviews.

Contemporary Indian English Poets

S L Peeran and Dr. Mashrique Jahan are the authors of this book. S L Peeran has appraised sixteen major Indian English Poets who have been acclaimed at National and International poetical scene. One Poet Dr. Krishna Srinivas was awarded Padma Bhusan for his contribution to Indian English Poetry. Dr. Masrique Jahan has done her MPhil and PhD on the Poetry of S L Peeran. The book is published by authorspress New Delhi and available with amazon.com

I chose to study S. L. Peeran's poetry for the new experience he offers through a variety of verse he has composed during the last ten years. He offers an instance to Sufism, which strengthen the genre of Indian English Poetry. This dissertation seeks to study S. L. Peeran's poetry based on textual analysis with particular attention to Sufism and Spiritual Consciousness in term of style, imagery, grammar, theme and language. These are studied in six chapters of the dissertation. The introductory chapter briefly reviews Indian English Poetry with particular attention to the poets after 1960s and also spiritual poets from the beginning. Here, an attempt has been made to highlight their effects to reveal their spiritual as well as mystic beliefs and innovation, S. L. Peeran, a notable poet of 1990s, stand out for his Sufi ideas and spiritually consciousness in his poems. The second chapter is 'Humanity and Human Values: His Themes'. The poems discussed in the chapter reflect his inclination towards nature, love for human being and submission at the feet of God. The third chapter intends to study his 'Style of Expression', which includes formal style, diction, figurative language and imagery. This insight is further worked out in chapter four entitled 'Influence of Faith- Sufism and Islam'. Peeran looks upon God for His Mercies and Miracle. Many of his poems witness the firm faith in God and reveals the fact that though there are little variation in the form of worship, all prostrate at the feet of God to be blessed by Him. This chapter leads to the fifth chapter 'The Process of Spiritual Transformation'. Peeran's spirituality emerges from his Sufism. His relationship with God is through human beings. He sees God everywhere and in everything. His spiritual edifice rests on five pillars- piety, doing a good deeds for the sake of God, steadfastness, patience and fortitude and sense of thankfulness. In concluding chapter it is presented that S. L. Peeran emerges strongly as spiritually conscious of 'tradition' and 'individuality'. His merits as an artist lie in his use of startling imagery, figurative language, his knowledge of Holy Scripture and Indian culture and socio-political awareness.

Biplab Majumdar

Stella Okoye-Ugwu

Some critics and scholars have overblown the issue of obscurity in the poetry of Wole Soyinka. These critics have succeeded in making a myth out of this perceived obscurity. Admittedly, his poems are not easily accessible to the average reader, but with a little effort, one finds them as academically engaging as well as rewarding. Symbolism is a major feature of his poetry. It is difficult to come across a direct statement in his poems. Like the symbolist poets, he places his faith in the personal, the subjective and the associative. He portrays the realities of his experiences through the use of images and symbols which evoke a certain emotional feeling in the reader. Despite the charges of obscurity and impenetrability made against Soyinka by the critics, it is very rewarding to study his poetry. Soyinka has enormous experiences that he wants to convey; and to do this effectively, he uses an assemblage of imagery, symbolism, and allusion to delineate his poetic trajectory. The pre...

Postcolonial literature and reconciliation: How can art facilitate reconciliation?

Maria Ukolova , Helge Nowak

This thesis examines the relationship between postcolonial literature and reconciliation. It focuses specifically on how literary works can facilitate reconciliation across the levels in society. First, the theoretical part investigates the discourse on this topic and defines the key terms related to reconciliation in the postcolonial context. Reconciliation is explored from an etymological, psychological and social perspective, and various types of reconciliation are reviewed. Additionally, the relationship between reconciliation, forgiveness and justice is inspected. It is discussed what role can literature play for those who live in the aftermath of genocide, colonial violence and oppression. Second, in the practical part, literary works from various regions around the world that have been (and still in many ways are) impacted by the British imperial rule are dissected. These poems and novels are analysed in light of the findings in the theoretical part. Differences between postcolonial poetry and fiction with regard to reconciliation are also examined. While poetic devices, such as metaphor and symbols, create a safe space to approach difficult topics in an indirect way, fiction uses storytelling to help process the horrific events of the past and allows to remember, reconnect and mourn. Both of these mediums have enormous potential for peace-building and coping with trauma as they provide a space where dialogue can occur. In conclusion, the thesis highlights that reconciliation is an ongoing process and that, in many cases, full recovery is not realistic. However, through works of literature one can explore trauma in a secure way that can enhance healing on both individual and national levels.

Book published from Notion Press

Joydev Maity

Molly Lynde-Recchia

Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/transference Part of the Classical Literature and Philology Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, East Asian Languages and Societies Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons, German Language and Literature Commons, Linguistics Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Poetry Commons, Reading and Language Commons, and the Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Commons

Taiz Karanja

RELATED PAPERS

Proceedings of the …

Roman Cooke

George Flynn

International Business Research

Anna Paola MICHELI

catur oktavian

scielo.org.bo

Mario Blanco

Ismail Yusuf

Journal of Electronic Materials

Shahid Aziz

Anti-Cancer Drugs

Dirk Behringer

Maite Mascaró

Fabrice Folio

Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Herman Oosterbaan

Sakboworn Tumpeesuwan

Ideas Y Valores

CARLOS JOSUE FLORES GOMEZ

Journal of Medical Microbiology

Harald Wiker

Achmad Nurmandi

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Jeffrey Carson

THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MARITIME EDUCATION AND TRAINING (The 5th ICMET) 2021

Dávid Bleho

Mathematical Finance

Dominick Samperi

Indian Journal of Microbiology

Buddhiman Tamang

Revista Argentina de Microbiología

Jorge Garcia

Nashrieh Shimi va Mohandesi Shimi Iran

mohammad hossein ghazanfari

Acta Botanica Malacitana

Jose Luis Vivero Pol

Maria Papathanasaki

New knowledge Journal of science

Sevdalina Dimitrova

International Journal of Trade and Global Markets

Abigail Godwin

Summary of Chinua Achebe Love Cycle

At dawn slowly the sun withdraws his long misty arms of embrace. Happy lovers

These lines suggest the peaceful and tender moment of dawn, as the sun gently retreats its misty embrace. It symbolizes the end of the night and the beginning of a new day, evoking a sense of tranquility and contentment. The mention of “happy lovers” further adds to the romantic and serene atmosphere, hinting at the beauty and joy that can be found in nature’s embrace.

whose exertions leave no aftertaste nor slush of love’s combustion; Earth perfumed in dewdrop fragrance wakes

These lines describe the pure and refreshing beauty of the Earth as it awakens in the morning. The imagery of “perfumed in dewdrop fragrance” conveys the delicate scent and freshness that fills the air. It suggests a sense of renewal and purity, as if the Earth is starting anew with each dawn. The mention of “no aftertaste nor slush of love’s combustion” implies that this natural beauty is not tainted by any lingering emotions or residue, but rather exists in its own pristine state.

to whispers of soft-eyed light… Later he will wear out his temper ploughing the vast acres of heaven and take it

These lines emphasize the tireless and determined nature of the protagonist. Despite the peaceful and gentle moments described earlier, the protagonist is depicted as someone who will work diligently and tirelessly, “ploughing the vast acres of heaven,” to achieve their goals. It suggests a sense of ambition and perseverance, highlighting the protagonist’s willingness to put in the effort and overcome challenges to attain what they desire.

Themes in Chinua Achebe Love Cycle

out of her in burning darts of anger. Long accustomed to such caprice she waits patiently

These lines highlight the patience and understanding of a character who is accustomed to dealing with someone’s bursts of anger. Despite being on the receiving end of burning darts of anger, this character remains composed and waits patiently. It suggests a level of resilience and maturity in handling difficult situations, showcasing their ability to maintain composure and not let anger affect their own demeanor.

for evening when thoughts of another night will restore his mellowness and her power over him.

These lines project a sense of anticipation and longing for the evening, when thoughts of another night will bring a sense of calmness and restore the protagonist’s mellowness. It also suggests that this evening time holds a certain power over the protagonist, possibly indicating the influence of someone else in their life. The lines evoke a sense of yearning for the peacefulness and connection that the evening brings.

Summary of Mahesh Dattani Where there is a Will Act I

Ben Okri The Famished Road as a Post-Colonial Novel

Summary of Chinua Achebe poem Butterfly

Summary of Ben Okri What the Tapster Saw

Summary of Chinua Achebe Arrow of God

Summary of Gabriel Okara Piano and Drums

Critical Analysis Kofi Awoonor The Sea Eats the Land at Home

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

by Chinua Achebe

Email Share

At dawn slowly the sun withdraws his long misty arms of embrace. Happy lovers

whose exertions leave no aftertaste nor slush of love’s combustion; Earth perfumed in dewdrop fragrance wakes

to whispers of soft-eyed light… Later he will wear out his temper ploughing the vast acres of heaven and take it

out of her in burning darts of anger. Long accustomed to such caprice she waits patiently

for evening when thoughts of another night will restore his mellowness and her power over him.

Share this Poem:

Quotes of the Day

Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Love: The Quadruple Theory

Scholars across an array of disciplines including social psychologists have been trying to explain the meaning of love for over a century but its polysemous nature has made it difficult to fully understand. In this paper, a quadruple framework of attraction, resonance or connection, trust, and respect are proposed to explain the meaning of love. The framework is used to explain how love grows and dies and to describe brand love, romantic love, and parental love. The synergistic relationship between the factors and how their variations modulate the intensity or levels of love are discussed.

Introduction

Scholars across an array of disciplines have tried to define the meaning and nature of love with some success but questions remain. Indeed, it has been described as a propensity to think, feel, and behave positively toward another ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986 ). However, the application of this approach has been unsuccessful in all forms of love ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Some social psychologists have tried to define love using psychometric techniques. Robert Sternberg Triangular Theory of Love and Clyde and Susan Hendrick’s Love Attitudes Scale (LAS) are notable attempts to employ the psychometric approach ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986 ; Sternberg, 1986 ). However, data analysis from the administration of the LAS, Sternberg’s scale and the Passionate Love Scale by Hatfield and Sprecher’s (1986) found a poor association with all forms of love ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1989 ). Other studies have found a poor correlation between these and other love scales with different types of love ( Whitley, 1993 ; Sternberg, 1997 ; Masuda, 2003 ; Graham and Christiansen, 2009 ).

In recent years, the neuropsychological approach to study the nature of love has gained prominence. Research has compared the brain activity of people who were deeply in love while viewing a picture of their partner and friends of the same age using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and concluded that there is a specialized network of the brain involved in love ( Bartels and Zeki, 2000 ). Indeed, several lines of investigation using fMRI have described a specialized area of the brain mediating maternal love ( Noriuchi et al., 2008 ; Noriuchi and Kikuchi, 2013 ) and, fMRI studies have implicated multiple brain systems particularly the reward system in romantic love ( Aron et al., 2005 ; Fisher et al., 2005 , 2010 ; Beauregard et al., 2009 ). Brain regions including ventral tegmental area, anterior insula, ventral striatum, and supplementary motor area have been demonstrated to mediate social and material reward anticipation ( Gu et al., 2019 ). Although brain imaging provides a unique insight into the nature of love, making sense of the psychological significance or inference of fMRI data is problematic ( Cacioppo et al., 2003 ).

Also, there has been growing interests in the neurobiology of love. Indeed, evidence suggests possible roles for oxytocin, vasopressin, dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, cortisol, morphinergic system, and nerve growth factor in love and attachment ( Esch and Stefano, 2005 ; De Boer et al., 2012 ; Seshadri, 2016 ; Feldman, 2017 ). However, in many cases, definite proof is still lacking and the few imaging studies on love are limited by selection bias on the duration of a love affair, gender and cultural differences ( De Boer et al., 2012 ).

So, while advances have been made in unraveling the meaning of love, questions remain and a framework that can be employed to understand love in all its forms remains to be developed or proposed. The objective of this article is to propose a novel framework that can be applied to all forms of love.

Theoretical Background and Hypothesis Development (The AAC Model)

In the past few decades, the psychological literature has defined and described different forms of love and from these descriptions, the role of attraction, attachment-commitment, and caregiving (AAC), appears to be consistent in all forms of love.

Attraction theory is one of the first approaches to explain the phenomenon of love and several studies and scholarly works have described the importance of attraction in different forms of love ( Byrne and Griffitt, 1973 ; Berscheid and Hatfield, 1978 ; Fisher et al., 2006 ; Braxton-Davis, 2010 ; Grant-Jacob, 2016 ). Attraction has been described as an evolutionary adaptation of humans for mating, reproduction, and parenting ( Fisher et al., 2002a , 2006 ).

The role of attachment in love has also been extensively investigated. Attachment bonds have been described as a critical feature of mammals including parent-infant, pair-bonds, conspecifics, and peers ( Feldman, 2017 ). Indeed, neural networks including the interaction of oxytocin and dopamine in the striatum have been implicated in attachment bonds ( Feldman, 2017 ). The key features of attachment include proximity maintenance, safety and security, and separation distress ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Multiple lines of research have proposed that humans possess an innate behavioral system of attachment that is essential in love ( Harlow, 1958 ; Bowlby, 1977 , 1988 , 1989 ; Ainsworth, 1985 ; Hazan and Shaver, 1987 ; Bretherton, 1992 ; Carter, 1998 ; Burkett and Young, 2012 ). Attachment is essential to commitment and satisfaction in a relationship ( Péloquin et al., 2013 ) and commitment leads to greater intimacy ( Sternberg, 1986 ).

Also, several lines of evidence have described the role of caregiving in love. It has been proposed that humans possess an inborn caregiving system that complements their attachment system ( Bowlby, 1973 ; Ainsworth, 1985 ). Indeed, several studies have used caregiving scale and compassionate love scale, to describe the role of caring, concern, tenderness, supporting, helping, and understanding the other(s), in love and relationships ( Kunce and Shaver, 1994 ; Sprecher and Fehr, 2005 ). Mutual communally responsive relationships in which partners attend to one another’s needs and welfare with the expectation that the other will return the favor when their own needs arise ( Clark and Mills, 1979 ; Clark and Monin, 2006 ), have been described as key in all types of relationships including friendship, family, and romantic and compassionate love ( Berscheid, 2010 ).

Attachment and caregiving reinforce each other in relationships. Evidence suggests that sustained caregiving is frequently accompanied by the growth of familiarity between the caregiver and the receiver ( Bowlby, 1989 , p. 115) strengthening attachment ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Several studies have proposed that attachment has a positive influence on caregiving behavior in love and relationships ( Carnelley et al., 1996 ; Collins and Feeney, 2000 ; Feeney and Collins, 2001 ; Mikulincer, 2006 ; Canterberry and Gillath, 2012 ; Péloquin et al., 2013 ).

The AAC model can be seen across the literature on love. Robert Sternberg triangular theory of love which proposes that love has three components —intimacy, passion, and commitment ( Sternberg, 1986 ), essentially applies the AAC model. Passion, a key factor in his theory, is associated with attraction ( Berscheid and Hatfield, 1978 ), and many passionate behaviors including increased energy, focused attention, intrusive thinking, obsessive following, possessive mate guarding, goal-oriented behaviors and motivation to win and keep a preferred mating partner ( Fisher et al., 2002b , 2006 ; Fisher, 2005 ). Also, evidence indicates that attachment is central to intimacy, another pillar of the triangular theory ( Morris, 1982 ; Feeney and Noller, 1990 ; Oleson, 1996 ; Grabill and Kent, 2000 ). Commitment, the last pillar of the triangular theory, is based on interdependence and social exchange theories ( Stanley et al., 2010 ), which is connected to mutual caregiving and secure attachment.

Hendrick and Hendrick’s (1986) , Love Attitudes Scale (LAS) which measures six types of love ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986 ) is at its core based on the AAC model. Similarly, numerous works on love ( Rubin, 1970 ; Hatfield and Sprecher, 1986 ; Fehr, 1994 ; Grote and Frieze, 1994 ), have applied one or all of the factors in the ACC model. Berscheid (2010) , proposed four candidates for a temporal model of love including companionate love, romantic love, and compassionate love and adult attachment love. As described, these different types of love (romantic, companionate, compassionate, and attachment) all apply at least one or all of the factors in the AAC model.

New Theory (The Quadruple Framework)

The AAC model can be fully captured by four fundamental factors; attraction, connection or resonance, trust, and respect, providing a novel framework that could explain love in all its forms. Table 1 shows the core factors of love, and the four factors derived from them.

Factors of love.

Evidence suggests that both attachment and attraction play a role in obsession or passion observed in love ( Fisher et al., 2005 ; Honari and Saremi, 2015 ). Attraction is influenced by the value or appeal perceived from a relationship and this affects commitment ( Rusbult, 1980 ).

Connection or Resonance

Connection is key to commitment, caregiving, and intimacy. It creates a sense of oneness in relationships and it is strengthened by proximity, familiarity, similarity, and positive shared experiences ( Sullivan et al., 2011 ; Beckes et al., 2013 ). Homogeneity or similarity has been observed to increase social capital and engagement among people ( Costa and Kahn, 2003a , b ), and it has been described as foundational to human relationships ( Tobore, 2018 , pp. 6–13). Research indicates that similarity plays a key role in attachment and companionship as people are more likely to form long-lasting and successful relationships with those who are more similar to themselves ( Burgess and Wallin, 1954 ; Byrne, 1971 ; Berscheid and Reis, 1998 ; Lutz-Zois et al., 2006 ). Proximity plays a key role in caregiving as people are more likely to show compassion to those they are familiar with or those closest to them ( Sprecher and Fehr, 2005 ). Similarity and proximity contribute to feelings of familiarity ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Also, caregiving and empathy are positively related to emotional interdependence ( Hatfield et al., 1994 ).

Trust is crucial for love ( Esch and Stefano, 2005 ) and it plays an important role in relationship intimacy and caregiving ( Rempel and Holmes, 1985 ; Wilson et al., 1998 ; Salazar, 2015 ), as well as attachment ( Rodriguez et al., 2015 ; Bidmon, 2017 ). Familiarity is a sine qua non for trust ( Luhmann, 1979 ), and trust is key to relationship satisfaction ( Simpson, 2007 ; Fitzpatrick and Lafontaine, 2017 ).

Respect is cross-cultural and universal ( Frei and Shaver, 2002 ; Hendrick et al., 2010 ) and has been described as fundamental in love ( Hendrick et al., 2011 ). It plays a cardinal role in interpersonal relations at all levels ( Hendrick et al., 2010 ). Indeed, it is essential in relationship commitment and satisfaction ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 2006 ) and relationship intimacy and attachment ( Alper, 2004 ; Hendrick et al., 2011 ).

Synergetic Interactions of the Four Factors

Connection and attraction.

Similarity, proximity, and familiarity are all important in connection because they promote attachment and a sense of oneness in a relationship ( Sullivan et al., 2011 ; Beckes et al., 2013 ). Research indicates that proximity ( Batool and Malik, 2010 ) and familiarity positively influence attraction ( Norton et al., 2015 ) and several lines of evidence suggests that people are attracted to those similar to themselves ( Sykes et al., 1976 ; Wetzel and Insko, 1982 ; Montoya et al., 2008 ; Batool and Malik, 2010 ; Collisson and Howell, 2014 ). Also, attraction mediates similarity and familiarity ( Moreland and Zajonc, 1982 ; Elbedweihy et al., 2016 ).

Respect and Trust

Evidence suggests that respect promotes trust ( Ali et al., 2012 ).

Connection, Respect, Trust, and Attraction

Trust affects attraction ( Singh et al., 2015 ). Trust and respect can mediate attitude similarity and promote attraction ( Singh et al., 2016 ).

So, although these factors can operate independently, evidence suggests that the weakening of one factor could negatively affect the others and the status of love. Similarly, the strengthening of one factor positively modulates the others and the status of love.

Relationships are dynamic and change as events and conditions in the environment change ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Love is associated with causal conditions that respond to these changes favorably or negatively ( Berscheid, 2010 ). In other words, as conditions change, and these factors become present, love is achieved and if they die, it fades. Figure 1 below explains how love grows and dies. Point C in the figure explains the variations in the intensity or levels of love and this variation is influenced by the strength of each factor. The stronger the presence of all factors, the higher the intensity and the lower, the weaker the intensity of love. The concept of non-love is similar to the “non-love” described in Sternberg’s triangular theory of love in which all components of love are absent ( Sternberg, 1986 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is fpsyg-11-00862-g001.jpg

Description: (A) Presence of love (all factors are present). (B) Absence of love (state of non-love or state where all factors are latent or dormant). (C) Different levels of love due to variations in the four factors. (D) Movement from non-love toward love (developmental stage: at least one but not all four factors are present). (E) Movement away from love toward non-love (decline stage: at least one or more of the four factors are absent).

Application of the Quadruple Framework on Romantic, Brand and Parental Love

Romantic, parental and brand love have been chosen to demonstrate the role of these factors and their interactions in love because there is significant existing literature on them. However, they can be applied to understand love in all its forms.

Romantic Love

Attraction and romantic love.

Attraction involves both physical and personality traits ( Braxton-Davis, 2010 ; Karandashev and Fata, 2014 ). To this end, attraction could be subdivided into sexual or material and non-sexual or non-material attraction. Sexual or material attraction includes physical attributes such as beauty, aesthetics, appeal, wealth, etc. In contrast, non-sexual or non-material attraction includes characteristics such as personality, social status, power, humor, intelligence, character, confidence, temperament, honesty, good quality, kindness, integrity, etc. Both types of attraction are not mutually exclusive.

Romantic love has been described as a advanced form of human attraction system ( Fisher et al., 2005 ) and it fits with the passion component of Sternberg’s triangular theory of love which he described as the quickest to recruit ( Sternberg, 1986 ). Indeed, research indicates that physical attractiveness and sensual feelings are essential in romantic love and dating ( Brislin and Lewis, 1968 ; Regan and Berscheid, 1999 ; Luo and Zhang, 2009 ; Braxton-Davis, 2010 ; Ha et al., 2010 ; Guéguen and Lamy, 2012 ) and sexual attraction often provides the motivational spark that kickstarts a romantic relationship ( Gillath et al., 2008 ). Behavioral data suggest that love and sex drive follow complementary pathways in the brain ( Seshadri, 2016 ). Indeed, the neuroendocrine system for sexual attraction and attachment appears to work synergistically motivating individuals to both prefer a specific mating partner and to form an attachment to that partner ( Seshadri, 2016 ). Sex promotes the activity of hormones involved in love including arginine vasopressin in the ventral pallidum, oxytocin in the nucleus accumbens and stimulates dopamine release which consequently motivates preference for a partner and strengthens attachment or pair-bonding ( Seshadri, 2016 ).

Also, romantic love is associated with non-material attraction. Research indicates that many people are attracted to their romantic partner because of personality traits like generosity, kindness, warmth, humor, helpfulness, openness to new ideas ( Giles, 2015 , pp. 168–169). Findings from a research study on preferences in human mate selection indicate that personality traits such as kindness/considerate and understanding, exciting, and intelligent are strongly preferred in a potential mate ( Buss and Barnes, 1986 ). Indeed, character and physical attractiveness have been found to contribute jointly and significantly to romantic attraction ( McKelvie and Matthews, 1976 ).

Attraction is key to commitment in a romantic relationship ( Rusbult, 1980 ), indicating that without attraction a romantic relationship could lose its luster. Also, romantic attraction is weakened or declines as the reason for its presence declines or deteriorates. If attraction is sexual or due to material characteristics, then aging or any accident that compromises physical beauty would result in its decline ( Braxton-Davis, 2010 ). Loss of fortune or social status could also weaken attraction and increase tension in a relationship. Indeed, tensions about money increase marital conflicts ( Papp et al., 2009 ; Dew and Dakin, 2011 ) and predicted subsequent divorce ( Amato and Rogers, 1997 ).

Connection and Romantic Love

Connection or resonance fits with the intimacy, and commitment components of Sternberg’s triangular theory of love ( Sternberg, 1986 ). Connection in romantic love involves intimacy, friendship or companionship and caregiving and it is strengthened by novelty, proximity, communication, positive shared experiences, familiarity, and similarity. It is what creates a sense of oneness between romantic partners and it is expressed in the form of proximity seeking and maintenance, concern, and compassion ( Neto, 2012 ). Evidence suggests that deeper levels of emotional involvement or attachment increase commitment and cognitive interdependence or tendency to think about the relationship in a pluralistic manner, as reflected in the use of plural pronouns to describe oneself, romantic partner and relationship ( Agnew et al., 1998 ).

Research indicates that both sexual attraction and friendship are necessary for romantic love ( Meyers and Berscheid, 1997 ; Gillath et al., 2008 ; Berscheid, 2010 ), indicating that connection which is essential for companionship plays a key role in romantic love. A study on college students by Hendrick and Hendrick (1993) found that a significant number of the students described their romantic partner as their closest friend ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1993 ), reinforcing the importance of friendship or companionship in romantic love.

Similarity along the lines of values, goals, religion, nationality, career, culture, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, language, etc. is essential in liking and friendship in romantic love ( Berscheid and Reis, 1998 ). Research indicates that a partner who shared similar values and interests were more likely to experience stronger love ( Jin et al., 2017 ). Indeed, the more satisfied individuals were with their friendships the more similar they perceived their friends to be to themselves ( Morry, 2005 ). Also, similarity influences perceptions of familiarity ( Moreland and Zajonc, 1982 ), and familiarity plays a role in the formation of attachment and connectedness because it signals safety and security ( Bowlby, 1977 ). Moreover, similarity and familiarity affect caregiving. Sprecher and Fehr (2005) , found compassion or caregiving were lower for strangers, and greatest for dating and marital relationships, indicating that similarity and familiarity enhance intimacy and positively influences caregiving ( Sprecher and Fehr, 2005 ).

Proximity through increased exposure is known to promote liking ( Saegert et al., 1973 ), familiarity and emotional connectedness ( Sternberg, 1986 ; Berscheid, 2010 ). Exposure through fun times and direct and frequent communication is essential to maintaining and strengthening attachment and connectedness ( Sternberg and Grajek, 1984 ). In Sternberg’s triangular theory, effective communication is described as essential and affects the intimacy component of a relationship ( Sternberg, 1986 ). Indeed, intimacy grows from a combination of mutual self-disclosure and interactions mediated by positive partner responsiveness ( Laurenceau et al., 1998 , 2005 ; Manne et al., 2004 ), indicating that positive feedback and fun times together strengthens connection.

Also, sexual activity is an important component of the reward system that reinforces emotional attachment ( Seshadri, 2016 ), indicating that sexual activity may increase emotional connectedness and intimacy. Over time in most relationships, predictability grows, and sexual satisfaction becomes readily available. This weakens the erotic and emotional experience associated with romantic love ( Berscheid, 2010 ). Research shows that a reduction in novelty due to the monotony of being with the same person for a long period is the reason for this decline in sexual attraction ( Freud and Rieff, 1997 , p. 57; Sprecher et al., 2006 , p. 467). According to Sternberg (1986) , the worst enemy of the intimacy component of love is stagnation. He explained that too much predictability can erode the level of intimacy in a close relationship ( Sternberg, 1986 ). So, novelty is essential to maintaining sexual attraction and strengthening connection in romantic love.

Jealousy and separation distress which are key features of romantic love ( Fisher et al., 2002b ), are actions to maintain and protect the emotional union and are expressions of a strong connection. Research has found a significant correlation between anxiety and love ( Hatfield et al., 1989 ) and a positive link between romantic love and jealousy in stable relationships ( Mathes and Severa, 1981 ; Aune and Comstock, 1991 ; Attridge, 2013 ; Gomillion et al., 2014 ). Indeed, individuals who feel strong romantic love tend to be more jealous or sensitive to threats to their relationship ( Orosz et al., 2015 ).

Connection in romantic love is weakened by distance, a dearth of communication, unsatisfactory sexual activity, divergences or dissimilarity of values and interests, monotony and too much predictability.

Trust and Romantic Love

Trust is the belief that a partner is, and will remain, reliable or dependable ( Cook, 2003 ). Trust in romantic love fits with the intimacy, and commitment components of Sternberg’s triangular theory of love which includes being able to count on the loved one in times of need, mutual understanding with the loved one, sharing of one’s self and one’s possessions with the loved one and maintaining the relationship ( Sternberg, 1986 ).

It has been proposed that love activates specific regions in the reward system which results in a reduction in emotional judgment and fear ( Seshadri, 2016 ). This reduced fear or trust has been identified as one of the most important characteristics of a romantic relationship and essential to fidelity, commitment, monogamy, emotional vulnerability, and intimacy ( Laborde et al., 2014 ). Indeed, trust can deepen intimacy, increase commitment and increase mutual monogamy, and make a person lower their guards in the belief that they are safe from harm ( Larzelere and Huston, 1980 ; Bauman and Berman, 2005 ). People with high trust in romantic relationships tend to expect that their partner will act in their interest causing them to prioritize relationship dependence over making themselves invulnerable from harm or self-protection ( Luchies et al., 2013 ). In contrast, people with low trust in their partner tend to be unsure about whether their partner will act in their interests and prioritize insulating themselves from harm over relationship dependence ( Luchies et al., 2013 ).

Trust takes time to grow into a romantic relationship. Indeed, people in a relationship come to trust their partners when they see that their partner’s action and behavior moves the relationship forward or acts in the interest of the relationship and not themself ( Wieselquist et al., 1999 ). Research indicates that trust is associated with mutual self-disclosure ( Larzelere and Huston, 1980 ), and positive partner responsiveness which are both essential to the experience of friendship and intimacy in romantic relationships ( Larzelere and Huston, 1980 ; Reis and Shaver, 1988 ; Laurenceau et al., 1998 ).

Also, trust influences caregiving and compassion. Evidence suggests that compassion is positively related to trust ( Salazar, 2015 ). Mutual communal responsiveness or caregiving in relationships in which partners attend to one another’s needs and welfare is done because they are confident that the other will do the same when or if their own needs arise ( Clark and Monin, 2006 ). Repeated acts of communal responsiveness given with no expectation of payback provide a partner with a sense of security and trust and increase the likelihood that they will be communally responsive if or when the need arises ( Clark and Monin, 2006 ), and contributes to a sense of love in romantic relationships ( Berscheid, 2010 ).

Loss or weakening of trust could spell the end of romantic love. Indeed, mistrust corrupts intimacy and often indicates that a relationship has ended or near its end ( LaFollette and Graham, 1986 ) and it makes mutual monogamy, and commitment difficult to achieve in a romantic relationship ( Towner et al., 2015 ). A study on individuals who had fallen out of romantic love with their spouse found that loss of trust and intimacy was part of the reason for the dissolution of love ( Sailor, 2013 ).

Respect and Romantic Love

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that respect is expected in both friendships and romantic relationships ( Gaines, 1994 , 1996 ). In romantic love, it entails consideration, admiration, high regard, and value for the loved one as a part of one’s life ( Sternberg and Grajek, 1984 ; Hendrick et al., 2011 ).

Gottman (1999) , found that the basis for a stable and satisfactory marital relationship is friendship filled with fondness and admiration ( Gottman, 1999 ). Respect is considered one of the most important things married couples want from their partner ( Gottman, 1994 ). Grote and Frieze (1994) , found that respect correlates with companionate or friendship love ( Grote and Frieze, 1994 ), indicating that respect is essential to intimacy and relationship satisfaction. Also, respect is positively correlated with passion, altruism, self-disclosure, and relationship overall satisfaction ( Frei and Shaver, 2002 ; Hendrick and Hendrick, 2006 ). It is associated with the tendency to overlook a partner’s negative behavior or respond with pro-relationship actions or compassion to their shortcomings ( Rusbult et al., 1998 ; Gottman, 1999 ).

Absence or a lack of respect could spell the end of romantic love. Research indicates that there is an expectation of mutual respect in friendship and most relationships and people reacted negatively when this expectation is violated ( Hendrick et al., 2011 ), indicating that a lack of respect could negatively affect commitment and attraction. Indeed, denial of respect is an important negative behavior in friendships and most relationships ( Gaines, 1994 , 1996 ) and a lack of respect is a violation of what it means to love one ‘s partner in a close romantic relationship ( Hendrick et al., 2011 ). Gottman (1993 , 1994) identified contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling as four of the relationally destructive behavior and he labeled them as “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.”

Romantic love summary

Romantic love involves the interactions and synergistic interplay between respect, connection, trust, and attraction. All four must be present in love. Any event that results in the loss of any of these factors could cause romantic love to gradually decline and unless effort is made to replenish it, it will eventually fade or collapse. Romantic love is dynamic and requires significant investment from both partners to keep it alive.

Parental Love

Attraction and parental love.

Attraction plays an essential role in parental love and it could be material or non-material. Material attraction involves the child’s health, gender, accomplishments or success, and attractiveness. In contrast, non-material attraction includes traits such as intelligence, character, and other personality traits.

Evidence suggests that culture influences gender preference with attraction greater for sons in most cases ( Cronk, 1993 ). Indeed, mothers and fathers have been found to favor the more intelligent and more ambitious/industrious child ( Lauricella, 2009 ). Also, parental perception that investment in a child will cost more than the benefits to be gained from taking care of the child might influence negative behavior toward the child. Indeed, multiple lines of evidence suggest that parental unemployment increases the rates of child maltreatment and abuse ( Steinberg et al., 1981 ; Lindo et al., 2013 ). Research indicates that teen mothers who have poor social support reported greater unhappiness, were at greater risk for child abuse and often employed the use of physical punishment toward their child ( Haskett et al., 1994 ; de Paúl and Domenech, 2000 ).

Also, several studies have suggested that parents tended to favor healthy children ( Mann, 1992 ; Barratt et al., 1996 ; Hagen, 1999 ). However, when resources are plentiful, parents tend to invest equally in less healthy or high-risk children ( Beaulieu and Bugental, 2008 ), because they have abundant resources to go around without compromising the reproductive value of healthy children ( Lauricella, 2009 ).

Connection and Parental Love

Connection creates a sense of oneness between parent and child and involves caregiving, intimacy, and attachment. It is influenced by proximity, positive and unique shared experiences, and similarity along virtually every dimension between parent and child.

Proximity, and similarity increases attachment and intimacy between parent and child. Research shows that parents are perceived as favoring genetically related children ( Salmon et al., 2012 ), and evidence suggests that paternal resemblance predicted paternal favoritism ( Lauricella, 2009 ). Parental proximity and similarity to a biological child are unique because it is based on genes and blood. In contrast, intimacy between a parent and an adopted child is based solely on shared experiences and proximity and takes time to grow and on many occasions may not develop ( Hooks, 1990 ; Hughes, 1999 ).

Dissimilarities or discrepancy in values, attitudes, etc., can create problems between children and parents and can have a profound effect on their relationship. Indeed, evidence suggests that the rebel child tended to be less close to the parents ( Rohde et al., 2003 ). Research has found that adolescents who are less religious than their parents tend to experience lower-quality relationships with their parents which results in higher rates of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms ( Kim-Spoon et al., 2012 ). When parents and family members were very religious, and a child comes out as an atheist, relationship quality could suffer in the form of rejection, anger, despair, or an inability to relate to one another ( Zimmerman et al., 2015 ). A study of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youngsters, for patterns of disclosure of sexual orientation to families, found that those who had disclosed reported verbal and physical abuse by parents and family members ( D’Augelli et al., 1998 ). Honor killing of female children which have been reported in Pakistan and some parts of the Middle East because of deviation from traditional gender roles or crossing of social boundaries that are deemed as taboo in their culture ( Lindsey and Sarah, 2010 ), is another example of the negative effects of the discrepancy in values between parents and child.

Unique shared experiences between parent and child could increase connection. Bank (1988) observed that the development of favoritism seems to require that the “child’s conception or birth be unusual or stressful,” ( Bank, 1988 ). Evidence suggests that parents most favored child tended to be last-born child and this is linked to their unique position, vulnerability and neediness ( Rohde et al., 2003 ). Also, proximity, positive experiences and time spent together increases connection and intimacy. Research indicates that parents tend to give more love and support to the grown child they were historically closest to and got along with ( Siennick, 2013 ). A study of primiparous women found that mothers with greater contact with their infants were more reluctant to leave them with someone else, and engaged more intimately with their child ( Klaus et al., 1972 ).

Divorce could create distance between a parent and child, weakening connection and intimacy. Indeed, one of the outcomes of divorce is the lessening of contact between divorced non-custodial fathers and their children ( Appleby and Palkovitz, 2007 ), and this can reduce intimacy ( Guttmann and Rosenberg, 2003 ).

Also, parental separation distress, worry, and concern for their child’s welfare, academic performance, and future are expressions of connection and a lack thereof is a sign of poor connection. Indeed, the levels of concern and worry expressed between children and their parents influenced their perceptions of the relationship quality ( Hay et al., 2007 ).

Trust and Parental Love

Trust is essential to parental attachment, intimacy, and caregiving. When there is mistrust, attachment and intimacy between a parent and their child are disrupted or unable to blossom. In Africa and many parts of the world, there have been reports of children being condemned and abandoned by their parents simply because they are tagged as witches with mysterious evil powers ( Tedam, 2014 ; Bartholomew, 2015 ; Briggs and Whittaker, 2018 ). The tag of “witchcraft” stirs up fear and anger, causing the child to be perceived as a deadly threat which inevitably damages attachment, intimacy and eliminates the need for caregiving.

Research has found that firstborn children were most likely to be chosen as those to whom mothers would turn when facing personal problems or crises ( Suitor and Pillemer, 2007 ). This tendency may be linked to trust. Moreover, evidence suggests that the rebel child tended to be less close to the parents ( Rohde et al., 2003 ). In other words, the more obedient, and reliable child is likely to gain the confidence and intimacy of the parents. In contrast, the disobedient and unreliable child is excluded or kept at a distance. Also, trust and poor connection could influence inheritance and disinheritance decisions. Indeed, estrangement, alienation and disaffection of a parent toward a child could result in disinheritance ( Batts, 1990 ; Brashier, 1994 , 1996 ; Foster, 2001 ; Arroyo et al., 2016 ).

Respect and Parental Love

Respect in parental love entails treating the child with consideration and regard. This consideration and regard for the child are essential to intimacy, caregiving and attachment. Indeed, respect is foundational to a harmonious relationship between parent and child ( Dixon et al., 2008 ). Evidence suggests that humans possess an innate behavioral system that leads them to form an attachment to a familiar person who provides care, comfort, and protection ( Harlow, 1958 ; Bowlby, 1989 ). Repeated acts of caregiving contribute to a sense of love in all types of relationships ( Berscheid, 2010 ), reinforcing the role of parental caregiving in fostering intimacy and attachment with the child.

Taking care of an infant’s needs, and making sure they are safe and well, all fall under consideration and regard for the child. Child abuse and neglect ( Tedam, 2014 ; Bartholomew, 2015 ; Briggs and Whittaker, 2018 ), is a display of a lack of consideration for the child’s need.

Also, respect in parental love involves admiration. Research has found that fathers treated more ambitious/industrious sons with high regard, and both parents favored the more intelligent and more ambitious/industrious daughters ( Lauricella, 2009 ) indicating that a child that engages in activities or behavior that is highly regarded by their parents may gain favor with their parents, strengthening intimacy and vice versa.

Parental love summary

Parental love involves the interactions and synergistic interplay between respect, connection, trust, and attraction. Any event that results in the loss of any of these factors could cause parental love to gradually decline. In many cases, the behavior and actions of a child significantly influence parental love.

Brand love has been defined as the level of passionate emotional attachment a satisfied or happy consumer has for a brand and evidence suggests it is very similar to interpersonal love ( Russo et al., 2011 ).

Attraction and Brand Love

Attraction plays an essential role in brand love. Material attraction for a brand includes attributes like superior design, quality, and aesthetics, price, benefits, etc. Non-material attraction involves social status symbol, brand personality, uniqueness, distinctiveness, user experience, image, etc. evidence suggests that when talking about loved brands, people often talk passionately about the brand’s many attractive qualities such as its exceptional performance, good-looking design, value for money, and other positive attributes ( Fournier, 1998 ; Whang et al., 2004 ; Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006 ; Batra et al., 2012 ). Research on brand love has found that brand attractive attributes such as prestige or uniqueness influence brand passion which affects relevant factors such as purchase intention ( Bauer et al., 2007 ).

Also, brand attraction influences brand loyalty, and commitment. Indeed, research indicates that brand benefits influences brand loyalty or commitment ( Huang et al., 2016 ). Brand personality (image, distinctiveness, and self-expressive value) is strongly associated with brand identification and loyalty ( Kim et al., 2001 ; Elbedweihy et al., 2016 ).

Connection and Brand Love

Connection is essential to brand love. It involves brand attachment, commitment, and intimacy and it is strengthened by brand identification, image, familiarity or awareness, proximity, length or frequency of usage and similarity or congruences along virtually every dimension including values, lifestyle, goals, etc. between brand and customer. Brand awareness which means brand familiarity has been described as essential for people to identify with a brand ( Pascual and Académico, 2015 ), and it indirectly affects current purchases ( Esch et al., 2006 ).

Also, brand identification promotes a sense of oneness between a brand and a customer strengthening commitment and it is driven by brand self-similarity, brand prestige and brand distinctiveness ( Stokburger-Sauer et al., 2008 ). Indeed, brand identification contributes to the development of brand love and brand loyalty ( Alnawas and Altarifi, 2016 ) and brand image and identification influence loyalty and positive word of mouth ( Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006 ; Batra et al., 2012 ; Anggraeni and Rachmanita, 2015 ). Brand identity, values and lifestyle similarities to those of the customer appear to have a strong and significant relationship with brand love ( Batra et al., 2012 ; Rauschnabel and Ahuvia, 2014 ; Alnawas and Altarifi, 2016 ; Elbedweihy et al., 2016 ). Findings from research suggest that customer-to-customer similarity and sense of community drive consumer brand identification, loyalty, and engagement ( Bergkvist and Bech-Larsen, 2010 ; Elbedweihy et al., 2016 ).

Moreover, proximity and interaction play a role in brand love. Indeed, the duration of the relationship between a customer and a brand is essential in brand love ( Albert et al., 2007 ). Fournier (1998) , discussed interdependence which involved frequent brand interactions as necessary for a strong brand relationship ( Fournier, 1998 ). Similarly, Batra et al. (2012) found that having a long-term relationship, positive emotional connection and frequent interactions with a brand was an important aspect of brand love ( Batra et al., 2012 ). Indeed, shared experiences and history between a person and a brand can increase their emotional attachment, make the brand to become an important part of the person’s identity narrative and increases their loyalty to the brand ( Thomson et al., 2005 ; Pedeliento et al., 2016 ).

Just like romantic love, concern and worry and proximity seeking, or maintenance are an expression of emotional connectedness to the brand. Indeed, anticipated separation distress has been described as a core element of brand love ( Batra et al., 2012 ), and consumers are likely to feel strong desires to maintain proximity with their loved objects, even feeling “separation distress” when they are distanced from them ( Thomson et al., 2005 ; Park et al., 2010 ).

Also, novelty through continued innovation is vital to maintaining and strengthening both attraction and connection. According to the Harvard business review, the relationship between brand and consumer go through “ruts” and to “keep the spark” alive, innovation and news are essential ( Halloran, 2014 ). Research indicates that innovation plays a role in brand equity and it impacts brand identification or resonance ( Sinha, 2017 ).

Lack of brand familiarity or awareness, poor or negative user experience, a dearth of innovation and increased dissimilarities in values and lifestyles between brand and consumer can all weaken brand connection.

Trust and Brand Love

Trust is essential to brand attachment, intimacy, and commitment. It involves confidence and reliability, or dependability of the brand and it is influenced by brand image, familiarity, values, user experience, and quality. Indeed, brand trust directly influences brand love ( Turgut and Gultekin, 2015 ; Meisenzahl, 2017 ) and a strong relationship exists between brand love and brand trust and identification ( Albert and Merunka, 2013 ). Evidence suggests that brand familiarity influences brand trust ( Ha and Perks, 2005 ) and brand trust and experience, positively influence brand attachment ( Erciş et al., 2012 ; Chinomona, 2013 ; Chinomona and Maziriri, 2017 ).

Also, brand trust affects brand purchase, loyalty, and commitment. Evidence suggests that a strong relationship exists between brand love and brand trust, brand commitment, positive word of mouth, and willingness to pay a higher price for the brand ( Albert and Merunka, 2013 ). Research indicates that brand trust positively affects brand loyalty ( Setyawan and Kussudiyarsana, 2015 ), directly influences brand purchase intentions ( Yasin and Shamim, 2013 ) and positively influences current and future purchases ( Erciş et al., 2012 ). Indeed, more than any other factor, brand trust has been identified as essential for future purchases of a brand ( Esch et al., 2006 ). It is essential in determining purchase loyalty and attitudinal loyalty and it plays a role in brand market share ( Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001 ). Brand trust affects both affective and continuance commitment and affective commitment influences repurchase intention and loyalty ( Erciş et al., 2012 ).

Brand quality is essential to brand trust and love. Indeed, Fournier (1998) , discussed the role of brand quality in brand love and highlighted the role of trust in relationship satisfaction and strength ( Fournier, 1998 ). Also, brand trust has been found to positively affect resistance to negative information and repurchase intention ( Turgut and Gultekin, 2015 ).

Brand trust is weakened by poor user experience, brand quality, brand image, and a lack of brand familiarity.

Respect and Brand Love

Brand respect is essential in brand love and plays an important role in brand attachment, intimacy, and commitment. It is influenced by brand identification, values, image, experience, and quality. Brand respect is displayed by the customer in the form of high regard, admiration for the brand, brand loyalty and consideration or tolerance of negative information. Indeed, brand familiarity positively affects brand respect ( Zhou, 2017 ), indicating that brand familiarity increases regard for a brand. Evidence suggests that brand image positively influences brand respect and love ( Cho, 2011 ), indicating that brand image modulates a customer’s regard and admiration for a brand.

Brand respect influences brand commitment and loyalty. Indeed, a strong relationship has been found between brand respect and brand loyalty ( Cho, 2011 ) and brand admiration results in greater brand loyalty, stronger brand advocacy, and higher brand equity ( Park et al., 2016 ). Brand respect affects the behavioral outcomes of brand love such as affective commitment, and willingness to pay a price premium ( Garg et al., 2016 ; Park et al., 2016 ).

Also, evidence suggests that customers’ admiration or high regard for a brand contributes to why they tend to ignore negative information about the brand ( Elbedweihy et al., 2016 ). Fournier (1998) , included respect as one of the components of brand partner quality. This means that respect is one of the factors that reflects the consumer’s evaluation of the brand’s performance ( Fournier, 1998 ).

A lack of respect could negatively influence the relationship between a brand and a customer. Indeed, people react negatively when the expectation of respect is violated ( Hendrick et al., 2011 ) and a violation of expectation between brand and customer has been found to contribute to brand hate ( Zarantonello et al., 2016 ).

Brand love summary

Brand love involves the interactions and synergistic interplay between respect, connection, trust, and attraction. Any event that results in the loss of any of these factors could cause brand love to gradually decline and unless effort is made to replenish it, it will eventually fade or collapse. Brand love is dynamic and requires significant investment from the brand to keep it alive.

Strengths and Advances Made by the Quadruple Theory

The quadruple theory builds on many of the strengths of previous theories of love and it applies a temporal approach that has been proposed as the best way to understand love ( Berscheid, 2010 ). It goes further than previous theories for several reasons. Firstly, it could potentially be applied to any form of love although, only brand, romantic and parental love were discussed in this paper due to the paucity of scholarly articles on other forms of love. One of the reasons current love scales and approaches have been unable to be applied in all forms of love ( Hendrick and Hendrick, 1989 ; Whitley, 1993 ; Sternberg, 1997 ; Masuda, 2003 ; Graham and Christiansen, 2009 ), is because they capture only a part of the ACC model, unlike the quadruple framework which fully captures it.

Unlike previous theories, the quadruple theory’s application of the complex factor of connection/resonance gives it an edge in furthering our understanding of love. Proximity, positive shared experience, familiarity, and similarity are vital to connection and connection has the most profound influence on all the other factors.

Also, the dynamism and variation of these factors provide a fresh way to understand love from its development to collapse. As Figure 1 shows, love tends to take time to mature in a relationship and can die as these factors rise and decline. Figure 1 shows that variations in the presence of these factors represent different levels of love. Love in any relationship is influenced by the events in the environment it is embedded, and it responds favorably or negatively to these changes. Indeed, people get sick, old, lose their finances, travel in search of greener pastures creating distance, develop new interests different from their partner’s and all these influences the presence and absence of love. One brand becomes more innovative, improves its product quality and users experience over another and people gradually love it more than the one they previously loved. In other words, love is very dynamic and may be divided into high, moderate and low. Another point highlighted in Figure 1 is that the absence of one factor represents the absence of love and only the presence of all factors represents the presence of love. Indeed, the decline of a factor can be replenished in response to changes in the environment causing the reestablishment of love. Trust could decline but attraction and respect remain and over time trust could be replenished.

This dynamic understanding of love implies that it can be nurtured and sustained. As an example, for a brand to be loved and to maintain that love, it must make products that are attractive (appealing). It must be able to connect to its target customers by reaching out through adverts to achieve familiarity and it must ensure that its values, goals, actions are consistently similar to those of its customer base. Also, it must ensure its services and products and actions promote and maintain trust with its customers. It must respect (value) its customer’s interests and ensure that its services and products continue to receive the admiration of its customers. Table 2 describes how brand love can be nurtured and preserved.

Brand love can be nurtured and maintained.

Using this framework, a love scale or algorithm could be developed to ascertain the presence or absence of love in any relationship. Such a scale must effectively capture these four factors and must consider the type of love being calculated in its approach. As an example, in trying to create a scale for romantic love, sexual attraction, and activity may be important for attraction and connection (depending on the age of the partners) but would be unnecessary in the calculation of brand or parental love.

Major Challenges for the Theory

One of the biggest challenges the theory faces is the lack of psychometric data to prove many of its claims. Most of its arguments are based on decades of psychological data, but its lack of psychometric data weakens the theory significantly. Also, the entire premise of the theory is based on the ACC model, which has not been validated as essential or foundational to understanding love. Perhaps, something else needs to be added to the model that the theory may have missed. The argument that the quadruple theory captures the ACC model better than previous theories on love is an argument that has not been validated, and it remains to be seen if this is true. Also, the argument that it can be applied to all forms of love apart from the three discussed remains to be tested and verified.

Gaps currently exist in our understanding of love and evidences from the existing literature show that a framework that can be applied to all forms of love is needed. The quadruple theory hopes to be that framework. It is likely to broaden our understanding of the complex nature of love. It could make love less complex by making it something that can be cultivated or nurtured, regulated and preserved. Future research should consider the modulatory roles of peptides, neurotransmitters, and hormones on these factors and their influence on love as well as the integrated parts of the brain that modulates all these factors and how they work synergistically in different stages of love.

It is important to note that love is universal and applies to people of all cultures, races, ethnicities, religion and sexual orientations. Indeed, romantic love as described by the quadruple theory applies equally to heterosexual relationships and to the relationships of people in the LGTBQ community.

In conclusion, culture has a monumental influence on what people feel, think, and how they behave toward other people and things in their environment ( Karandashev, 2015 ; Ching Hei and David, 2018 ). So, it can be considered a modulating factor on the factors discussed and on love.

Author Contributions

The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Agnew C. R., Van Lange P. A. M., Rusbult C. E., Langston C. A. (1998). Cognitive interdependence: commitment and the mental representation of close relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 74 939–954. 10.1037/0022-3514.74.4.939 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Ainsworth M. D. (1985). Attachments across the life span. Bull. N. Y. Acad. Med. 61 792–812. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Albert N., Merunka D. (2013). The role of brand love in consumer-brand relationships. J. Consum. Mark. 30 258–266. 10.1108/07363761311328928 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Albert N., Merunka D., Valette-Florence P. (2007). When consumers love their brands: exploring the concept and its dimensions. J. Bus. Res. 61 1062–1075. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.09.014 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Ali S. H. S., Mansur N., Abdullah Z. (2012). Analyzing the issue of respect and trust: determining the mediating role of religion. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 58 614–623. 10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2012.09.1039 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Alnawas I., Altarifi S. (2016). Exploring the role of brand identification and brand love in generating higher levels of brand loyalty. J. Vacat. Mark. 22 111–128. 10.1177/1356766715604663 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Alper G. (2004). Voices from the unconscious. J. Loss Trauma 10 73–81. 10.1080/15325020490890660 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Amato P. R., Rogers S. J. (1997). A longitudinal study of marital problems and subsequent divorce. J. Marriage Fam. 59 612–624. 10.2307/353949 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Anggraeni A., Rachmanita (2015). Effects of brand love, personality and image on word of mouth; the case of local fashion brands among young consumers. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 211 442–447. 10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2015.11.058 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Appleby D. W., Palkovitz R. (2007). Factors Influencing a Divorced Father’ s Involvement with His Children. Available online at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ccfs_fac_pubs/7 (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Aron A., Fisher H., Mashek D. J., Strong G., Li H., Brown L. L. (2005). Reward, motivation, and emotion systems associated with early-stage intense romantic love. J. Neurophysiol. 94 327–337. 10.1152/jn.00838.2004 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Arroyo E., Amayuelas I., Amorós E. F. (2016). Kinship bonds and emotional ties: lack of a family relationship as ground for disinheritance. Eur. Rev. Priv. Law 2 203–222. [ Google Scholar ]
Attridge M. (2013). Jealousy and relationship closeness. SAGE Open 3 : 215824401347605 . 10.1177/2158244013476054 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Aune K. S., Comstock J. (1991). Experience and expression of jealousy: comparison between friends and romantics. Psychol. Rep. 69 315–319. 10.2466/pr0.1991.69.1.315 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bank S. P. (1988). Favoritism. J. Child. Contemp. Soc. 19 77–89. 10.1300/J274v19n03_05 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Barratt M. S., Roach M. A., Leavitt L. A. (1996). The impact of low-risk prematurity on maternal behaviour and toddler outcomes. Int. J. Behav. Dev. 19 581–602. 10.1177/016502549601900308 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bartels A., Zeki S. (2000). The neural basis of romantic love. Neuroreport 11 3829–3834. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bartholomew L. (2015). Child abuse linked to beliefs in witchcraft. Trans. Soc. Rev. 5 193–198. 10.1080/21931674.2015.1028809 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Batool S., Malik N. I. (2010). Role of attitude similarity and proximity in interpersonal attraction among friends. Int. J. Innov. Manage. Technol. 1 . [ Google Scholar ]
Batra R., Ahuvia A., Bagozzi R. P. (2012). Brand love. J. Mark. 76 1–16. 10.1509/jm.09.0339 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Batts D. A. (1990). I Didn’t ask to be born: the American law of disinheritance and a proposal for change to a sytem of protected inheritance recommended citation. Hastings L. J. 41 1197–1270. [ Google Scholar ]
Bauer H. H., Heinrich D., Martin I. (2007). “ How to create high emotional consumer-brand relationships? The causalities of brand passion ,” in Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference 2007 , Dunedin, 2189–2198. [ Google Scholar ]
Bauman L. J., Berman R. (2005). Adolescent relationships and condom use: trust, love and commitment. AIDS Behav. 9 211–222. 10.1007/s10461-005-3902-2 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Beaulieu D. A., Bugental D. (2008). Contingent parental investment: an evolutionary framework for understanding early interaction between mothers and children. Evol. Hum. Behav. 29 249–255. 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.01.002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Beauregard M., Courtemanche J., Paquette V., St-Pierre É. L. (2009). The neural basis of unconditional love. Psychiatry Res. Neuroimaging 172 93–98. 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.11.003 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Beckes L., Coan J. A., Hasselmo K. (2013). Familiarity promotes the blurring of self and other in the neural representation of threat. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 8 670–677. 10.1093/scan/nss046 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bergkvist L., Bech-Larsen T. (2010). Two studies of consequences and actionable antecedents of brand love. J. Brand Manage. 17 504–518. 10.1057/bm.2010.6 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Berscheid E. (2010). Love in the fourth dimension. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 61 1–25. 10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100318 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Berscheid E., Hatfield E. (1978). Interpersonal Attraction. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. [ Google Scholar ]
Berscheid E. A., Reis H. T. (1998). “ Attraction and close relationships ,” in The Handbook of Social Psychology , 4th Edn, Vol. 2 eds Gilbert D. T., Fiske S. T., Lindzey G. (Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill; ), 193–281. [ Google Scholar ]
Bidmon S. (2017). How does attachment style influence the brand attachment – brand trust and brand loyalty chain in adolescents? Int. J. Advert. 36 164–189. 10.1080/02650487.2016.1172404 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bowlby J. (1973). “ Affectional bonds: their nature and origin ,” in Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation , ed. Weiss R. S. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; ), 38–52. [ Google Scholar ]
Bowlby J. (1977). The making and breaking of affectional bonds: aetiology and psychopathology in light of attachment theory. Br. J. Psychiatry 130 201–210. 10.1136/bmj.a3133 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Bowlby J. (1988). A SECURE BASE Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development A Member of the. New York, NY: Perseus Books Group. [ Google Scholar ]
Bowlby J. (1989). The Making & Breaking of Affectional Bonds. London: Routledge. [ Google Scholar ]
Brashier R. C. (1994). Disinheritance and the modern family. Case West. Reserve L. Rev. 83 : 121 . [ Google Scholar ]
Brashier R. C. (1996). Protecting the child from disinheritance: Must Louisiana stand alone? Repository citation protecting the child from disinheritance: Must Louisiana Stand Alone? Louis. L. Rev. 57 . [ Google Scholar ]
Braxton-Davis P. (2010). The social psychology of love and attraction. McNair Sch. J. 14 5–12. [ Google Scholar ]
Bretherton I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Dev. Psychol. 28 759–775. 10.1037/0012-1649.28.5.759 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Briggs S., Whittaker A. (2018). Protecting Children from Faith-Based Abuse through Accusations of Witchcraft and Spirit Possession: Understanding Contexts and Informing Practice. Br. J. Soc. Work 48 2157–2175. 10.1093/bjsw/bcx155 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Brislin R. W., Lewis S. A. (1968). Dating and physical attractiveness: replication. Psychol. Rep. 22 976–976. 10.2466/pr0.1968.22.3.976 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Burgess E. W., Wallin P. (1954). Courtship, Engagement, and Marriage , 1st Edn New York, NY: Lippincott. [ Google Scholar ]
Burkett J. P., Young L. J. (2012). The behavioral, anatomical and pharmacological parallels between social attachment, love and addiction. Psychopharmacology 224 1–26. 10.1007/s00213-012-2794-x [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Buss D. M., Barnes M. (1986). Preferences in human mate selection. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 50 559–570. 10.1037/0022-3514.50.3.559 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Byrne D., Griffitt W. (1973). Interpersonal attraction. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 24 317–336. 10.1146/annurev.ps.24.020173.001533 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Byrne D. E. (1971). The Attraction Paradigm. New York, NY: Academic Press. [ Google Scholar ]
Cacioppo J. T., Berntson G. G., Lorig T. S., Norris C. J., Rickett E., Nusbaum H. (2003). Just because you’re imaging the brain doesn’t mean you can stop using your head: a primer and set of first principles. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 85 650–661. 10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.650 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Canterberry M., Gillath O. (2012). Attachment and Caregiving Functions, Interactions, and Implications. Available online at: https://gillab.ku.edu/sites/gillab.drupal.ku.edu/files/docs/canterberrygillathchp14.pdf (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Carnelley K. B., Pietromonaco P. R., Jaffe K. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and relationship functioning in couples: Effects of self and partner. Pers. Relat. 3 257–278. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00116.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Carroll B. A., Ahuvia A. C. (2006). Some antecedents and outcomes of brand love. Mark. Lett. 17 79–89. 10.2307/40216667 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Carter C. S. (1998). Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23 779–818. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Chaudhuri A., Holbrook M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: the role of brand loyalty. J. Mark. 65 81–93. 10.1509/jmkg.65.2.81.18255 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Ching Hei K., David M. K. (2018). How love is perceived by malaysian malay children. Int. J. Linguist. Lit. Transl. 1 80–104. [ Google Scholar ]
Chinomona E., Maziriri E. (2017). The influence of brand trust, brand familiarity and brand experience on brand attachment: a case of consumers in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. J. Econ. Behav. Stud. 9 69–81. [ Google Scholar ]
Chinomona R. (2013). The influence of brand experience on brand satisfaction, Trust And Attachment In South Africa. Int. Bus. Econ. Res. J. 12 1303–1316. 10.19030/iber.v12i10.8138 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Cho E. (2011). Development of a Brand Image Scale and the Impact of Lovemarks on Brand Equity. Ph.D. dissertation, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. [ Google Scholar ]
Clark M. S., Mills J. (1979). Interpersonal attraction in exchange and communal relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 37 12–24. 10.1037/0022-3514.37.1.12 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Clark M. S., Monin J. K. (2006). “ Giving and receiving communal responsiveness as love ,” in The New Psychology of Love , eds Sternberg R. J., Weis K. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; ), 200–221. [ Google Scholar ]
Collins N. L., Feeney B. C. (2000). A safe haven: an attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 78 1053–1073. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Collisson B., Howell J. L. (2014). The liking-similarity effect: perceptions of similarity as a function of liking. J. Soc. Psychol. 154 384–400. 10.1080/00224545.2014.914882 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Cook K. S. (2003). Trust in Society. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation. [ Google Scholar ]
Costa D. L., Kahn M. E. (2003a). Civic engagement and community heterogeneity: an economist’s perspective. Perspect. Polit. 1 103–111. 10.1017/S1537592703000082 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Costa D. L., Kahn M. E. (2003b). Understanding the American Decline in Social Capital, 1952-1998. Kyklos 56 17–46. 10.1111/1467-6435.00208 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Cronk L. (1993). Parental favoritism toward daughters. Am. Sci. 81 272–279. 10.2307/29774922 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
D’Augelli A. R., Hershberger S. L., Pilkington N. W. (1998). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and their families: disclosure of sexual orientation and its consequences. Am. J. Orthopsychiatry 68 361–371. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
De Boer A., Van Buel E. M., Ter Horst G. J. (2012). Love is more than just a kiss: a neurobiological perspective on love and affection. Neuroscience 201 114–124. 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.11.017 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
de Paúl J., Domenech L. (2000). Childhood history of abuse and child abuse potential in adolescent mothers: a longitudinal study. Child Abuse Negl. 24 701–713. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Dew J. P., Dakin J. (2011). Financial disagreements and marital conflict tactics. J. Financial Ther. 2 : 7 10.4148/jft.v2i1.1414 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Dixon S. V., Graber J. A., Brooks-Gunn J. (2008). The roles of respect for parental authority and parenting practices in parent-child conflict among African American, Latino, and European American families. J. Fam. Psychol. 22 1–10. 10.1037/0893-3200.22.1.1 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Elbedweihy A. M., Jayawardhena C., Elsharnouby M. H., Elsharnouby T. H. (2016). Customer relationship building: the role of brand attractiveness and consumer–brand identification. J. Bus. Res. 69 2901–2910. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.059 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Erciş A., Ünal S., Candan F. B., Yıldırım H. (2012). The effect of brand satisfaction, trust and brand commitment on loyalty and repurchase intentions. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 58 1395–1404. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.1124 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Esch F., Langner T., Schmitt B. H., Geus P. (2006). Are brands forever? How brand knowledge and relationships affect current and future purchases. J. Prod. Brand Manage. 15 98–105. 10.1108/10610420610658938 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Esch T., Stefano G. B. (2005). The neurobiology of love. Neuroendocrinol. Lett. 26 175–192. 10.2174/157340005774575037 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Feeney B. C., Collins N. L. (2001). Predictors of caregiving in adult Intimate relationships: an attachment theoretical perspective. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 80 972–994. 10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.972 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Feeney J. A., Noller P. (1990). Attachment Style as a Predictor of Adult Romantic Relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 58 281–291. 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.01.010 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fehr B. (1994). Prototype-based assessment of laypeople’s views of love. Pers. Relat. 1 309–331. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00068.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Feldman R. (2017). The neurobiology of human attachments. Trends Cogn. Sci. 21 80–99. 10.1016/j.tics.2016.11.007 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H. (2005). Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co. [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H., Aron A., Brown L. L. (2005). Romantic love: an fMRI study of a neural mechanism for mate choice. J. Comp. Neurol. 493 58–62. 10.1002/cne.20772 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H. E., Aron A., Brown L. L. (2006). Romantic love: a mammalian brain system for mate choice. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B Biol. Sci. 361 2173–2186. 10.1098/rstb.2006.1938 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H. E., Aron A., Mashek D., Li H., Strong G., Brown L. L. (2002a). The neural mechanisms of mate choice: a hypothesis. Neuro Endocrinol. Lett. 23 ( Suppl. 4 ), 92–97. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H. E., Aron A., Mashek D., Li H., Brown L. L. (2002b). Defining the brain systems of lust, romantic attraction, and attachment. Arch. Sex. Behav. 31 413–419. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fisher H. E., Brown L. L., Aron A., Strong G., Mashek D. (2010). Reward, addiction, and emotion regulation systems associated with rejection in love. J. Neurophysiol. 104 51–60. 10.1152/jn.00784.2009 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Fitzpatrick J., Lafontaine M.-F. (2017). Attachment, trust, and satisfaction in relationships: investigating actor, partner, and mediating effects. Pers. Relat. 24 640–662. 10.1111/pere.12203 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Foster F. H. (2001). The family paradigm of inheritance law, 80 N.C. N. C. L. Rev. 80 12–13. [ Google Scholar ]
Fournier S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: developing relationship theory in consumer research. J. Consum. Res. 24 343–373. [ Google Scholar ]
Frei J. R., Shaver P. R. (2002). Respect in close relationships: prototype definition, self-report assessment, and initial correlates. Pers. Relat. 9 121–139. 10.1111/1475-6811.00008 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Freud S., Rieff P. (1997). Sexuality and the Psychology of Love. New York, NY: Collier Books. [ Google Scholar ]
Gaines S. O. (1994). Exchange of respect-denying behaviors among male-female friendships. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 11 5–24. 10.1177/0265407594111001 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Gaines S. O. (1996). Impact of interpersonal traits and gender-role compliance on interpersonal resource exchange among dating and engaged/married couples. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 13 241–261. 10.1177/0265407596132005 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Garg R., Mukherjee J., Biswas S., Kataria A. (2016). An investigation into the concept of brand love and its proximal and distal covariates. J. Relat. Mark. 15 135–153. 10.1080/15332667.2016.1209047 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Giles J. (2015). Sexual attraction: the psychology of allure. Praeger 351 23–25. [ Google Scholar ]
Gillath O., Mikulincer M., Birnbaum G. E., Shaver P. R. (2008). When sex primes love: subliminal sexual priming motivates relationship goal pursuit. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 34 1057–1069. 10.1177/0146167208318141 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Gomillion S., Gabriel S., Murray S. L. (2014). A friend of yours is no friend of mine. Soc. Psychol. Pers. Sci. 5 636–643. 10.1177/1948550614524447 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Gottman J. (1993). A theory of marital dissolution and stability. J. Fam. Psychol. 7 57–75. 10.1037/0893-3200.7.1.57 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Gottman J. (1994). What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [ Google Scholar ]
Gottman J. M. (1999). The Marriage Clinic: A Scientifically-Based Marital Therapy. New York, NY: W.W. Norton. [ Google Scholar ]
Grabill C. M., Kent K. A. K. (2000). Attachment style and intimacy in friendship. Pers. Relat. 7 363–378. [ Google Scholar ]
Graham J. M., Christiansen K. (2009). The reliability of romantic love: a reliability generalization meta-analysis. Pers. Relat. 16 49–66. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01209.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Grant-Jacob J. A. (2016). Love at first sight. Front. Psychol. 7 : 1113 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01113 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Grote N. K., Frieze I. H. (1994). The measurement of friendship-based love in intimate relationships. Pers. Relat. 1 275–300. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00066.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Gu R., Huang W., Camilleri J., Xu P., Wei P., Eickhoff S. B., et al. (2019). Love is analogous to money in human brain: COORDINATE-based and functional connectivity meta-analyses of social and monetary reward anticipation. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 100 108–128. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.017 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Guéguen N., Lamy L. (2012). Men’s social status and attractiveness. Swiss J. Psychol. 71 157–160. 10.1024/1421-0185/a000083 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Guttmann J., Rosenberg M. (2003). Emotional intimacy and children’s adjustment: a comparison between single-parent divorced and intact families. Educ. Psychol. 23 457–472. 10.1080/01443410303213 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Ha H.-Y., Perks H. (2005). Effects of consumer perceptions of brand experience on the web: brand familiarity, satisfaction and brand trust. J. Consum. Behav. 4 438–452. 10.1002/cb.29 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Ha T., Overbeek G., Engels R. C. M. E. (2010). Effects of attractiveness and social status on dating desire in heterosexual adolescents: an experimental study. Arch. Sex. Behav. 39 1063–1071. 10.1007/s10508-009-9561-z [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hagen E. (1999). The functions of postpartum depression. Evol. Hum. Behav. 20 325–359. [ Google Scholar ]
Halloran T. (2014). The Eight Phases of Brand Love. Available online at: https://hbr.org/2014/02/the-eight-phases-of-brand-love (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Harlow H. F. (1958). Classics in the History of Psychology. New York, NY: York University. [ Google Scholar ]
Haskett M. E., Johnson C. A., Miller J. W. (1994). Individual differences in risk of child abuse by adolescent mothers: assessment in the perinatal period. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 35 461–476. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hatfield E., Brinton C., Cornelius J. (1989). Passionate love and anxiety in young adolescents. Motiv. Emot. 13 271–289. 10.1007/BF00995539 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hatfield E., Cacioppo J. T., Rapson R. L. (1994). Emotional contagion. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 2 96–99. 10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770953 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hatfield E., Sprecher S. (1986). Measuring passionate love in intimate relationships. J. Adolesc. 9 383–410. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hay E. L., Fingerman K. L., Lefkowitz E. S. (2007). The experience of worry in parent–adult child relationships. Pers. Relat. 14 605–622. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2007.00174.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hazan C., Shaver P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 52 511–524. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick C., Hendrick S. (1986). A theory and method of love. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 50 392–402. 10.1037/0022-3514.50.2.392 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick C., Hendrick S. S. (1989). Research on love: Does it measure up? J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 56 784–794. [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick C., Hendrick S. S., Zacchilli T. L. (2011). Respect and love in romantic relationships. Actas Investig. Psicol. 1 316–329. [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick S. S., Hendrick C. (1993). Lovers as friends. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 10 459–466. 10.1177/0265407593103011 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick S. S., Hendrick C. (2006). Measuring respect in close relationships. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 23 881–899. 10.1177/0265407506070471 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hendrick S. S., Hendrick C., Logue E. M. (2010). Respect and the family. J. Fam. Theory Rev. 2 126–136. 10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00046.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Honari B., Saremi A. A. (2015). The study of relationship between attachment styles and obsessive love style. Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 165 152–159. 10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2014.12.617 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hooks P. J. (1990). The real mother-issues in adoption. Jefferson J. Psychiatry 8 : 8 10.29046/JJP.008.2.005 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Huang S.-M., Fang S.-R., Fang S.-C., Huang C.-C. (2016). The influences of brand benefits on brand loyalty: intermediate mechanisms. Aust. J. Manage. 41 141–160. 10.1177/0312896214553516 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Hughes D. A. (1999). Adopting children with attachment problems. Child Welf. 78 541–560. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Jin W., Xiang Y., Lei M. (2017). The deeper the love, the deeper the hate. Front. Psychol. 8 : 1940 . 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01940 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Karandashev V. (2015). Unit 5 social psychology and culture subunit 4 interpersonal and intergroup relations article 2 6-1-2015 recommended citation Karandashev. Online Read. Psychol. Cult. 5 10.9707/2307-0919.1135 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Karandashev V., Fata B. (2014). Change in physical attraction in early romantic relationships. Interpers. Int. J. Pers. Relatsh. 8 257–267. 10.5964/ijpr.v8i2.167 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Kim C. K., Han D., Park S.-B. (2001). The effect of brand personality and brand identification on brand loyalty: applying the theory of social identification. Jpn. Psychol. Res. 43 195–206. 10.1111/1468-5884.00177 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Kim-Spoon J., Longo G. S., McCullough M. E. (2012). Adolescents who are less religious than their parents are at risk for externalizing and internalizing symptoms: the mediating role of parent-adolescent relationship quality. J. Fam. Psychol. 26 636–641. 10.1037/a0029176 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Klaus M. H., Jerauld R., Kreger N. C., McAlpine W., Steffa M., Kennell J. H. (1972). Maternal attachment. N. Engl. J. Med. 286 460–463. 10.1056/NEJM197203022860904 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Kunce L. J., Shaver P. R. (1994). “ An attachment-theoretical approach to caregiving in romantic relationships ,” in Advances in Personal Relationships, Attachment Processes in Adulthood , Vol. 5 eds Bartholomew, Perlman D. (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; ), 205–237. [ Google Scholar ]
Laborde N. D., vanDommelen-Gonzalez E., Minnis A. M. (2014). Trust - that’s a big one: intimate partnership values among urban Latino youth. Cult. Health Sex. 16 1009–1022. 10.1080/13691058.2014.921837 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
LaFollette H., Graham G. (1986). Honesty and intimacy. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 3 3–18. 10.1177/0265407586031001 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Larzelere R. E., Huston T. L. (1980). The dyadic trust scale: toward understanding interpersonal trust in close relationships. J. Marriage Fam. 42 595–604. 10.2307/351903 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Laurenceau J.-P., Barrett L. F., Rovine M. J. (2005). The interpersonal process model of intimacy in marriage: a daily-diary and multilevel modeling approach. J. Fam. Psychol. 19 314–323. 10.1037/0893-3200.19.2.314 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Laurenceau J.-P., Feldman Barrett L., Pietromonaco P. R. (1998). Intimacy as an interpersonal process& quot; the importance of self-disclosure, partner disclosure, and perceived partner responsiveness in interpersonal exchanges. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 74 1238–1251. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Lauricella A. M. (2009). Why do Mommy and Daddy Love You More? An Investigation of Parental Favoritism from an Evolutionary Perspective. Available online at: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/rws_etd/document/get/bgsu1250869200/inline (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Lindo J. M., Schaller J., Hansen B. (2013). Economic Downturns and Child Abuse. NBER Working Paper No. 18994 Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [ Google Scholar ]
Lindsey D., Sarah B. (2010). Interpreting honor crimes: the institutional disregard towards female victims of family violence in the Middle East. Int. J. Criminol. Sociol. Theory 3 . [ Google Scholar ]
Luchies L. B., Rusbult C. E., Kumashiro M., Eastwick P. W., Coolsen M. K., Finkel E. J. (2013). Trust and biased memory of transgressions in romantic relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 104 673–694. 10.1037/a0031054 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Luhmann N. (1979). Trust and Power. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. [ Google Scholar ]
Luo S., Zhang G. (2009). What leads to romantic attraction: similarity. Reciprocity, security, or beauty? Evidence from a speed-dating study. J. Personal. 77 933–964. 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00570.x [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Lutz-Zois C. J., Bradley A. C., Mihalik J. L., Moorman-Eavers E. R. (2006). Perceived similarity and relationship success among dating couples: an idiographic approach. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 23 865–880. 10.1177/0265407506068267 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Mann J. (1992). “ Nurturance or negligence: maternal psychology and behavioral preference among preterm twins ,” in The Adapted Mind , eds Barkow J., Cosmides L., Tooby J. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press; ), 367–390. [ Google Scholar ]
Manne S., Ostroff J., Rini C., Fox K., Goldstein L., Grana G. (2004). The interpersonal process model of intimacy: the role of self-disclosure, partner disclosure, and partner responsiveness in interactions between breast cancer patients and their partners. J. Fam. Psychol. 18 589–599. 10.1037/0893-3200.18.4.589 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Masuda M. (2003). Meta-analyses of love scales: Do various love scales measure the same psychological constructs? Jpn. Psychol. Res. 45 25–37. 10.1111/1468-5884.00030 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Mathes E. W., Severa N. (1981). Jealousy, romantic love, and liking: theoretical considerations and preliminary scale development. Psychol. Rep. 49 23–31. 10.2466/pr0.1981.49.1.23 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
McKelvie S. J., Matthews S. J. (1976). Effects of physical attractiveness and favourableness of character on liking. Psychol. Rep. 38 1223–1230. 10.2466/pr0.1976.38.3c.1223 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Meisenzahl J. (2017). Correlation of Brand Experience and Brand Love Using the Example of FlixBus. Master’s thesis, Seinajok University of Applied Sciences, Seinäjoki. [ Google Scholar ]
Meyers S. A., Berscheid E. (1997). The language of love: the difference a preposition makes. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 23 347–362. 10.1177/0146167297234002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Mikulincer M. (2006). “ Attachment, caregiving, and sex within romantic relationships a behavioral systems perspective ,” in Dynamics of Romantic Love: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sex , eds Mikulincer M., Goodman G. S. (New York, NY: Guilford Publications; ), 23–44. [ Google Scholar ]
Montoya R. M., Horton R. S., Kirchner J. (2008). Is actual similarity necessary for attraction? A meta-analysis of actual and perceived similarity. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 25 889–922. 10.1177/0265407508096700 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Moreland R. L., Zajonc R. B. (1982). Exposure effects in person perception: Familiarity, similarity, and attraction. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 18 395–415. 10.1016/0022-1031(82)90062-2 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Morris D. (1982). “ Attachment and intimacy ,” in Intimacy , eds Fischer M., Stricter G. (Boston, MA: Springer; ), 305–323. 10.1007/978-1-4684-4160-4_19 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Morry M. M. (2005). Relationship satisfaction as a predictor of similarity ratings: a test of the attraction-similarity hypothesis. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 22 561–584. 10.1177/0265407505054524 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Neto F. (2012). Compassionate love for a romantic partner, love styles and subjective well-being. Interpers. Int. J. Pers. Relatsh. 6 23–39. 10.5964/ijpr.v6i1.88 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Noriuchi M., Kikuchi Y. (2013). [Neural basis of maternal behavior]. Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi 115 630–634. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Noriuchi M., Kikuchi Y., Senoo A. (2008). The functional neuroanatomy of maternal love: mother’s response to infant’s attachment behaviors. Biol. Psychiatry 63 415–423. 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.05.018 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Norton M., Frost J., Ariely D., Reis H., Maniaci M., Caprariello P., et al. (2015). When does familiarity promote versus undermine interpersonal attraction? A proposed integrative model from erstwhile adversaries. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 10 3–19. 10.1177/1745691614561682 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Oleson M. D. (1996). Adolescents’ Recollection of Early Physical Contact: Implications for Attachment and Intimacy. Master’s thesis, Utah State University, Logan, UT. [ Google Scholar ]
Orosz G., Szekeres Á., Kiss Z. G., Farkas P., Roland-Lévy C. (2015). Elevated romantic love and jealousy if relationship status is declared on Facebook. Front. Psychol. 6 : 214 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00214 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Papp L. M., Cummings E. M., Goeke-Morey M. C. (2009). For richer, for poorer: money as a topic of marital conflict in the home. Fam. Relat. 58 91–103. 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00537.x [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Park C. W., MacInnis D. J., Eisingerich A. B. (2016). Brand Admiration: Building a Business People Love , 1st Edn Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. [ Google Scholar ]
Park C. W., Macinnis D. J., Priester J., Eisingerich A. B., Iacobucci D. (2010). Brand attachment and brand attitude strength: conceptual and empirical differentiation of two critical brand equity drivers. J. Mark. 74 1–17. [ Google Scholar ]
Pascual C. O., Académico C. (2015). María del Rosario Zulaica López TRABAJO FIN DE GRADO Brand Awareness and Brand Love. Is the too-of-Mind the Most Loved On? An Application to Fashion Retailers. Available online at: https://biblioteca.unirioja.es/tfe_e/TFE001238.pdf (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Pedeliento G., Andreini D., Bergamaschi M., Salo J. (2016). Brand and product attachment in an industrial context: the effects on brand loyalty. Ind. Mark. Manage. 53 194–206. 10.1016/J.INDMARMAN.2015.06.007 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Péloquin K., Brassard A., Delisle G., Bédard M.-M. (2013). Integrating the attachment, caregiving, and sexual systems into the understanding of sexual satisfaction. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 45 185–195. 10.1037/a0033514 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rauschnabel P. A., Ahuvia A. C. (2014). You’re so lovable: anthropomorphism and brand love. J. Brand Manage. 21 372–395. 10.1057/bm.2014.14 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Regan P. C., Berscheid E. (1999). Lust: What we Know about Human Sexual Desire. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. 10.4135/9781452233727 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Reis H. T., Shaver P. (1988). “ Intimacy as an interpersonal process ,” in Handbook of Personal Relationships: Theory, Research and Interventions , eds Duck S., Hay D. F., Hobfoll S. E., Ickes W., Montgomery B. M. (Oxford: John Wiley & Sons; ), 367–389. [ Google Scholar ]
Rempel J. K., Holmes J. G. (1985). Trust in close relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 49 95–112. 10.1037/0022-3514.49.1.95 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rodriguez L. M., DiBello A. M., Øverup C. S., Neighbors C. (2015). The price of distrust: trust, anxious attachment, jealousy, and partner abuse. Partner Abuse 6 298–319. 10.1891/1946-6560.6.3.298 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rohde P. A., Atzwanger K., Butovskaya M., Lampert A., Mysterud I., Sanchez-Andres A., et al. (2003). Perceived parental favoritism, closeness to kin, and the rebel of the family The effects of birth order and sex. Evol. Hum. Behav. 24 261–276. 10.1016/S1090-5138(03)00033-3 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rubin Z. (1970). Measurement of romantic love. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 16 265–273. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rusbult C. E. (1980). Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: a test of the investment model. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 16 172–186. 10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Rusbult C. E., Bissonnette V. L., Arriaga X. B., Cox C. L., Weiss R. L. (1998). “ Accommodation processes during the early years of marriage ,” in The Developmental Course of Marital Dysfunction , ed. Bradbury T. N. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; ), 74–113. 10.1017/CBO9780511527814.005 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Russo B., Boess S., Hekkert P. (2011). ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ the experience of love in person-product relationships. Des. J. 14 8–27. 10.2752/175630610X12877385838687 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Saegert S., Swap W., Zajonc R. B. (1973). Exposure, context, and interpersonal attraction. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 25 234–242. 10.1037/h0033965 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sailor J. L. (2013). A phenomenological study of falling out of romantic love. Qual. Rep. 18 1–22. [ Google Scholar ]
Salazar L. R. (2015). Exploring the relationship between compassion, closeness, trust, and social support in same-sex friendships. J. Happiness Well Being 3 15–29. [ Google Scholar ]
Salmon C. A., Shackelford T. K., Michalski R. L. (2012). Birth order, sex of child, and perceptions of parental favoritism. 52 357–362. 10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.033 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Seshadri K. G. (2016). The neuroendocrinology of love. Indian J. Endocrinol. Metab. 20 558–563. 10.4103/2230-8210.183479 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Setyawan A. A., Kussudiyarsana I. (2015). Brand trust and brand loyalty, an empirical study in indonesia consumers. Br. J. Mark. Stud. 4 37–47. [ Google Scholar ]
Siennick S. E. (2013). Still the Favorite? Parents’ differential treatment of siblings entering young adulthood. J. Marriage Fam. 75 981–994. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
Simpson J. A. (2007). Foundations of Interpersonal Trust: Handbook of Basic Principles. New York, NY: Guilford. [ Google Scholar ]
Singh R., Goh A., Sankaran K., Bhullar N. (2016). Similarity and liking effects on interpersonal attraction: test of the two-dimensional trust-respect model. Psychologia 59 1–18. 10.2117/psysoc.2016.1 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Singh R., Wegener D. T., Sankaran K., Singh S., Lin P. K. F., Seow M. X., et al. (2015). On the importance of trust in interpersonal attraction from attitude similarity. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 32 829–850. 10.1177/0265407515576993 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sinha A. K. (2017). Impact of product innovation in building brand equity on consumer’s choice with a focus on brand resonance. Int. J. Innov. Manage. Technol. 8 482–487. 10.18178/ijimt.2017.8.6.775 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sprecher S., Christopher F. S., Cate R. (2006). “ Sexuality in close relationships ,” in The Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships , eds Vangelisti A. L., Perlman D. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; ), 463–482. 10.1017/CBO9780511606632.026 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sprecher S., Fehr B. (2005). Compassionate love for close others and humanity. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 22 629–651. 10.1177/0265407505056439 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Stanley S. M., Rhoades G. K., Whitton S. W. (2010). Commitment: functions, formation, and the securing of romantic attachment. J. Fam. Theory Rev. 2 243–257. 10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00060.x [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Steinberg L. D., Catalano R., Dooley D. (1981). Economic antecedents of child abuse and neglect. Child Dev. 52 975–985. 10.2307/1129102 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sternberg R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychol. Rev. 93 119–135. 10.1037/0033-295X.93.2.119 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sternberg R. J. (1997). Construct validation of a triangular love scale. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol. 27 313–335. 10.1007/s10936-019-09661-y [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sternberg R. J., Grajek S. (1984). The nature of love. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 47 312–329. 10.1037/0022-3514.47.2.312 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Stokburger-Sauer N., Ratneshwar S., Sen S., Howard B. K., Chair W. B. (2008). Drivers of consumer-brand identification. Int. J. Res. Mark. 35 . [ Google Scholar ]
Suitor J. J., Pillemer K. (2007). Mothers’ favoritism in later life. Res. Aging 29 32–55. 10.1177/0164027506291750 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sullivan R., Perry R., Sloan A., Kleinhaus K., Burtchen N. (2011). Infant bonding and attachment to the caregiver: insights from basic and clinical science. Clin. Perinatol. 38 643–655. 10.1016/j.clp.2011.08.011 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Sykes R. E., Larntz K., Fox J. C. (1976). Proximity and similarity effects on frequency of interaction in a class of naval recruits. Sociometry 39 263 10.2307/2786519 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Tedam P. (2014). Witchcraft branding and the abuse of African children in the UK: causes, effects and professional intervention. Early Child Dev. Care 184 1403–1414. 10.1080/03004430.2014.901015 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Thomson M., MacInnis D. J., Whan Park C. (2005). The ties that bind: measuring the strength of consumers’ emotional attachments to brands. J. Consum. Psychol. 15 77–91. 10.1207/S15327663JCP1501_10 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Tobore T. (2018). On the Principles of Social Gravity: How Human Systems Work, from the Family to the United Nations. Delaware, DE: Vernon Press. [ Google Scholar ]
Towner S. L., Dolcini M. M., Harper G. W. (2015). Romantic relationship dynamics of urban african american adolescents: patterns of monogamy, commitment, and trust. Youth Soc. 47 343–373. 10.1177/0044118X12462591 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Turgut M. U., Gultekin B. (2015). The critical role of brand love in clothing brands. J. Bus. Econ. Finance 4 : 126 10.17261/Pressacademia.201519963 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Wetzel C. G., Insko C. A. (1982). The similarity-attraction relationship: Is there an ideal one? J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 18 253–276. 10.1016/0022-1031(82)90053-1 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Whang Y.-O., Allen J., Sahoury N., Zhang H. (2004). “ Falling in love with a product: the structure of a romantic consumer-product relationship ,” in Advances in Consumer Research , eds Kahn B. E., Luce M. F. (Valdosta, GA: Association for Consumer Research; ), 320–327. [ Google Scholar ]
Whitley B. E. (1993). Reliability and aspects of the construct validity of sternberg’s triangular love scale. J. Soc. Pers. Relat. 10 475–480. 10.1177/0265407593103013 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Wieselquist J., Rusbult C. E., Foster C. A., Agnew C. R. (1999). Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 77 942–966. 10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.942 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Wilson S., Morse J. M., Penrod J. (1998). Developing reciprocal trust in the caregiving relationship. Qual. Health Res. 8 446–465. 10.1177/104973239800800402 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Yasin M., Shamim A. (2013). Brand love: mediating role in purchase intentions and word-of-mouth. IOSR J. Bus. Manage. 7 101–109. [ Google Scholar ]
Zarantonello L., Romani S., Grappi S., Bagozzi R. P. (2016). Brand hate. J. Prod. Brand Manage. 25 11–25. 10.1108/JPBM-01-2015-0799 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
Zhou L. (2017). The Aquila Digital Community How Visual Communication Strategies, Brand Familiarity, And Personal Relevance Influence Instagram Users’ Responses To Brand Content. Graphic Communications Commons. Available online at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertationshttps://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1435 (accessed February 22, 2020). [ Google Scholar ]
Zimmerman K. J., Smith J. M., Simonson K., Myers B. W. (2015). Familial relationship outcomes of coming out as an atheist. Secular. Nonrelig. 4 1–13. 10.5334/snr.aw [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

Provide details on what you need help with along with a budget and time limit. Questions are posted anonymously and can be made 100% private.

Studypool matches you to the best tutor to help you with your question. Our tutors are highly qualified and vetted.

Your matched tutor provides personalized help according to your question details. Payment is made only after you have completed your 1-on-1 session and are satisfied with your session.

Homework Q&A
Become a Tutor

All Subjects

Mathematics

Programming

Health & Medical

Engineering

Computer Science

Foreign Languages

Access over 20 million homework & study documents

Love cycle analysis.

24/7 Homework Help

Stuck on a homework question? Our verified tutors can answer all questions, from basic math to advanced rocket science !

Ongoing Conversations

Access over 20 million homework documents through the notebank

Get on-demand Q&A homework help from verified tutors

Read 1000s of rich book guides covering popular titles

Already have an account? Login

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Latin American Literature › Analysis of Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera

Analysis of Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on September 25, 2020 • ( 0 )

Carlos R. Rodr ́ıguez, a friend of Garcıa Marquez (1927-2014) and well-known literary critic, wrote that if One Hundred Years of Solitude had not secured the road to Stockholm for Garcıa Marquez to receive the Nobel Prize in literature, Love in the Time of Cholera would have done so. Although with reservations, the critic considers Love in the Time of Cholera superior to One Hundred Years of Solitude (239–244). Love in the Time of Cholera may be seen as the product of a more experienced author, who no longer needs the resources of magic realism and ambiguity to surprise the reader. There are other critics, by contrast, who find strong similarities between Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude . Kathleen McNerney, for instance, finds that Florentino’s letter writing can be thought of as constituting the novel itself, just as Melqu ́ıades’ parchments tell the story of One Hundred Years of Solitude (McNerney 79). McNerney also points out the obvious about the novel by saying that the story is framed around an unusual love triangle (McNerney 74). The love triangle can be called unusual because one of the lovers is not physically involved but instead waits more than fifty years for his turn. It is also an unusual novel because the greatest lovers of all time have always been depicted as young, not old. With Garcıa Marquez’s novel, readers around the world are reminded that love is ageless, in the sense that lovers do not have to be young to fall in love. Although falling in love may indeed be a common practice among the elderly, societal and cultural etiquette views such love as inappropriate and even shameful, as the character of Ofelia, Fermina’s daughter, expresses it in the novel. However, neither the aging of Florentino and Fermina, society, nor anything else can interfere with the sublime love the old couple shares.

Love in the Time of Cholera , like all Gabriel Garcıa Marquez’s works, explores the solitude of the individual and of humankind. In this novel, the existential anguish of feeling alone is portrayed through the solitude of love and of being in love.

PLOT DEVELOPMENT

Curiosity and suspense are two key words in understanding the plot of Love in the Time of Cholera . The reader feels the curiosity of a private detective in trying to figure out who Jeremiah Saint-Amour is, why he committed suicide, and what he wrote in the eleven-page letter he left for Dr. Juvenal Urbino. Who is Jeremiah’s lover, and who is this man named Florentino Ariza? The latter shows up at the doctor’s funeral and tells the widow: “I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love” (64).

The novel’s opening chapter foreshadows the importance of Dr. Juvenal Urbino and his wife, Fermina Daza, but most readers would not expect this since Dr. Urbino dies before the end of the first chapter. Naively, the reader may expect to see Dr. Juvenal Urbino bury his friend, Jeremiah Saint-Amour, at five in the afternoon. Instead, in disbelief, the reader learns that the doctor dies, after lunch on the same day, for the absurd reason of trying to catch a parrot. The narrator continually contradicts any suppositions readers may have made regarding the plot. This type of narrative stimulates readers to continue with the long, and at times slow-moving, love story.

The plot of Love in the Time of Cholera is, among other possibilities, about learning to wait, about perseverance and endurance, and about never forsaking the object of one’s love. However, it is also about eternal fidelity and everlasting love, as Florentino Ariza stated it in the previous quotation.

Subsequent chapters take readers back in time to a story of love at first sight. If the novel followed a traditional linear plot line, it would have started with the second chapter, when Florentino, at age eighteen, meets Fermina, who is thirteen. The background of the plot is that of a port city, Cartagena de Indias, in the coastal northeast of Colombia, which has suffered through cholera panic and countless civil wars. The different social spheres of the plot’s background depict an impoverished and dying wealthy class; an emerging middle class, which includes foreigners; and the poor classes, which make up two-thirds of the total population. The poor classes include mulattos and blacks, plus a few Chinese who account for a small Chinatown of four streets.

Nothing seems impossible for the young lovers, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. While the two seem determined to fight for one another against all odds, Fermina’s father, Lorenzo Daza, an illiterate Spanish immigrant, is equally decided to marry Fermina well. He strongly believes in upward mobility, and his last resort is his daughter’s wedding. Florentino, being poor, is not a choice of whom Fermina’s father will approve, but Fermina persists in her relationship with Florentino despite her father’s wishes. However, after receiving four years of love letters, poems, telegrams, and music written and played just for her, Fermina suddenly tells Florentino that what she feels is not love. It is all an illusion, a spell she no longer believes in and wants no part of. Her reaction seems as unexpected and childlike as her reaction when they first met.

What readers thought was a perfect example of a fairy tale is thus ended by a stubborn young protagonist. Is Fermina indeed out of love or is her statement a reaction to her father telling her they are ruined? She turns her back on Florentino but he does not give up. Instead, he waits for the opportunity to reassure her of his love when they meet once again: fifty-one years, nine months, and four days later, at the funeral of Fermina’s husband, Dr. Juvenal Urbino.

During those years, with Florentino Ariza out of the picture, Dr. Juvenal Urbino’s persistence triumphs over the indifference of the young and beautiful Fermina. They first meet as doctor and patient (140). Dr. Juvenal Urbino goes to the wrong house, looking for an eighteen year-old girl who is supposed to be suffering from symptoms of cholera. Perhaps because he pays no attention to Fermina’s flowering beauty, she thinks he is a selfish man, unable to love anyone other than himself. Fermina’s father, however, is very taken with the doctor’s family name. Eventually, the beautiful young girl, who is scorned and ridiculed by the social group to which Dr. Urbino belongs, goes on to marry the town’s most eligible bachelor. Her wedding is splendid and unforgettable. The ultimate glory of the wedding is that the three-term president of the country attends (188). Does Dr. Juvenal Urbino love her? According to the omniscient narrator, Juvenal Urbino is aware that he does not love Fermina. Although he marries her out of physical attraction and even vanity, on their honeymoon he realizes that he could, indeed, fall in love with her.

Their Paris honeymoon lasts sixteen months, and the small-town girl learns of fashion, art, and literature. In this city, where Dr. Juvenal Urbino went to medical school, the young couple wants to see Victor Hugo, the French romantic writer, for whom Dr. Juvenal Urbino has a special liking, but they have to be content with the shared memory of glancing at Oscar Wilde (the Irish writer, poet, and dramatist who died in Paris). By the time the young married couple comes back to Cartagena de Indias, Fermina is six months pregnant with her first child.

After seeing Fermina coming out of church, pregnant with her first child, Florentino Ariza makes the decision “to win fame and fortune in order to deserve her” (199). He decides to wait “even till the end of time” (199). However, in a prejudiced society, economic success is not enough for a man whose bloodlines are unknown. Florentino Ariza was baptized, although he is a bastard, “a child of the street” in Spanish vernacular. He is the son of an unwed mother and a father who died without leaving him anything. Florentino’s mother is herself an illegitimate child. Despite this background, Florentino Ariza manages to work his way up to become president of the River Company of the Caribbean—the only such company existing for the past one hundred years. During the entire time while Florentino waits to talk to Fermina again (fifty-one years, nine months, and four days), he never stops thinking about her, but he has many affairs, which he refers to as noncommitted love. He keeps a diary (actually, twenty-five in all), where he records the affairs of 622 lovers all grouped under one title: They (the feminine plural form in Spanish is Ellas). Some of these affairs appear as subplots interconnected to the main plot. These female lovers, each with their own strong will and sexuality, contribute to the strengthening of character that Fermina would observe later on, and even admire. Most of the lovers are widows. However, there are also married women; single women such as Leona Cassiani, with whom his affair lasts, off-and-on, for thirty years; prostitutes; and an incestuous affair with America Vicuna, a fourteen-year-old blood relative, who is entrusted to him by her own parents. Most readers, whether male or female, would question Florentino’s conduct in light of his vow of eternal fidelity and everlasting love to Fermina. What kind of man could be so callous as to mislead a fourteen-year-old relative (who ends up committing suicide)? Is this something only a bastard, a son of the streets, would do?

Florentino feels inferior to Dr. Juvenal Urbino. They are members of two very different social classes, which is also true of Dr. Juvenal Urbino and Fermina Daza. However, the two classes converge into one for Juvenal and Fermina. This is not the case for Florentino and Fermina, despite Florentino’s accomplishments and contributions to society.

Fermina becomes a faithful and loving wife. She fulfills her obligations both as wife and mother, and she grows to be the perfect consort for an important public figure. They have a son, Marco Aurelio, who becomes a doctor, thus continuing the family tradition; and a daughter, Ofelia, who is as beautiful as Fermina Daza was when she was young. Fermina’s father, Lorenzo Daza, was a successful outlaw who was asked to leave his country because the governor of the province knew he had ignored all human and divine laws (254). When Lorenzo Daza dies, Fermina does not wear mourning but cries for him secretly. Fermina’s strong character hardly ever breaks. Among the few times she does break is when her husband is adulterous. At age fifty-eight, the specter of infidelity enters the heart of Dr. Juvenal Urbino. He has an affair with Miss Ba ́rbara Lynch, “a tall, elegant, large-boned mulatta” (292), who is a doctor of theology. Fermina’s anger, interestingly enough, is not so much because of her husband’s infidelity but because her honor is the subject of gossip and, also, because Barbara Lynch is black. As a result of her husband’s indiscretion, Fermina leaves the house for two years. She goes to live with her cousin Hildebranda in the countryside.

After reading about all these happenings, the reader is brought back again to the present time. It has been two weeks since the doctor died and two weeks since Florentino spoke to Fermina. It is at this point that the plot continues.

Fermina and Florentino’s love story can be clearly seen in two parts. The first is when Florentino ingeniously, but unsuccessfully, tries to conquer Fermina’s love. Although he is not experienced, he manages to win her attention and innocent teenage love until she comes to realize that she does not love him. The second part takes place at the end of their lives. She is now seventy-two years old and he is seventy-seven. He persists in his love for her, and Fermina, although still firm and strong of character, accepts him.

The abundance of literature that Florentino Ariza absorbed in his childhood and his extraordinary ability to write are two elements that contribute greatly to the novel’s plot. Florentino wins Fermina over, both the first and the second times, with the letters he writes to her. The first time they are both teenagers. Their relationship, at that time, is exclusively based on Florentino’s love letters, to which Fermina responds with equal passion. They hardly ever have a chance to talk, to interact, or to get to know each other. Their relationship during the first part, although strongly passionate, is rather precarious. The passion they both experience is such that Florentino proposes and she accepts. However, their childlike game has gone too far and the spell is broken for Fermina.

When they meet again nearly sixty years later, for most of which time Fermina was married, she rejects Florentino once more. It is at this time, nevertheless, that Florentino starts to write to Fermina again. His letters are formal in the beginning, in an effort to console her, but later he changes to a seductive mode. Florentino is not as graceful and handsome as Dr. Juvenal Urbino, but the power of his penmanship and his wholehearted insistence give him the edge that he needs to win her love. His tenacity—obsession, even—convinces Fermina that it is never too late to love. The novel ends on this upbeat note.

Although labyrinthine, the plot of Love in the Time of Cholera is rather accessible, even for first-time readers of Gabriel Garcıa Marquez. One can easily recognize the causality of events, even though they are not presented in strict chronological order—the novel begins in medias res (in the middle of things). The plot begins with the teenage love of Florentino and Fermina. The crux (the central or critical point) and longest part of Love in the Time of Cholera is what happens while Florentino and Fermina live separate lives. This time frame allows for personal growth and the maturation of the concept of love. The denouement coincides with the last chapter of the novel. Near the end, Fermina muses over how a person can be happy for so many years, through good times and bad, without even knowing if the emotion was really love (399). The novel culminates with the couple making love again and again. This is an elderly couple that is happy to be together and to be alive. Their relationship seemed hopeless except for Florentino’s chronic romanticism and tireless desire to love Fermina. However, what unites this couple in love is the combination of Florentino’s perseverance and Fermina’s strong character. In the end, it is Fermina who faces the toughest battle in order to love. The battle that seems to summarize her will and determination is the one against her own daughter, Ofelia, who believes that love at her mother’s age is revolting. Ofelia insists that Florentino’s reputation, as everyone knows, is that of a pervert, and that Fermina’s relationship with him will only do harm to the family’s name. Fermina’s response is a categorical, “they can all go to hell” (392).

GENRE AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

Love in the Time of Cholera is an intentional return to nineteenth-century realism and the outright fantasy we associate with Garcıa Marquez is absent, asserted critic Gene H. Bell-Villada (Bell-Villada 191). However, although there is plenty of realism in Love in the Time of Cholera , realism alone does not circumscribe the novel. Realism, in its purest form, rejects imaginative idealizations in favor of a detailed reality and sometimes focuses on triviality and the sordid aspects of life and nature. Realism is obvious in Love in the Time of Cholera in the portrayal of people’s attitudes, physical settings, and material conditions. The descriptions of Florentino, Fermina, and Juvenal Urbino in the novel are so detailed and complete as to make them picture perfect, in the sense that the reader can almost see them as if in person; this technique is highly favored by realism. The same is true for the deplorable conditions in which the poor live, which is certainly emphasized in the decay of nature along the Magdalena River. The reality of the description discloses the exploitation of a dying nature. It is interesting to note the parallelism between the aging of Florentino and the decay of nature in the scenes where he takes the second trip down the Magdalena River, this time with Fermina. Furthermore, like a realist novel, Love in the Time of Cholera favors the lives of the middle and lower classes. The time frame of the novel, on the one hand, also calls for realism, for realism was most prominent in France between 1850 and 1880, around the time when Fermina and Juvenal Urbino lived in Paris for eighteen months. On the other hand, between 1880 and 1910 most Latin American writers began experimenting with realism as a literary form and the Latin American countries experienced social and cultural changes along with foreign investment. In Latin American literature this new reality adopted the French and Spanish tradition of realism, which tries to depict a faithful representation of life.

While this is indeed true for a realist novel, it is not necessarily the case for Love in the Time of Cholera . The detailed representation of both people and nature in Love in the Time of Cholera seems to come up short when it comes to the idealization of Fermina by Florentino. The concept of love itself loses its entire realist meaning and changes the novel into a realist romantic novel, which is a combination of the two. Unlike the objectivity of realism, the love of Florentino for Fermina is totally subjective. Like a true romantic, Florentino believes in the idea of dying for love. He dresses in black, the favorite color of romantics; he reads and writes poetry; and his face is pale like the descriptions of romantic poets. While love as a theme does not necessarily call for romanticism (love in literature can be traced as far back as the Middle Ages), Love in the Time of Cholera depicts love both realistically and romantically.

Unlike many of Garcıa Marquez’s works, including his first book, Leaf Storm, Love in the Time of Cholera does not reflect an experimental structure. There is no shift in viewpoint and no use of stream of consciousness, two rather typical examples of experimental structure in Garcıa Marquez’s writing. However, the structure at the start of Love in the Time of Cholera will not seem strange to readers of Garcıa Marquez. As is the case with most of his writing, Love in the Time of Cholera starts with a technique most commonly used in motion pictures: in medias res, or in the middle. At the very start of the novel the reader is presented with a dead man that the reader knows nothing about. The omniscient narrator provides any and all information. The death of Jeremiah Saint-Amour, a secondary character, provides the opportunity the narrator needs to talk about love between socially and economically displaced blacks, in the same way that the death of Dr. Juvenal Urbino provides the opportunity to talk about love among the ruling class. The death of Dr. Juvenal Urbino also takes place in the first chapter when he is eighty-one years old. The first chapter, which opens in medias res, sets up the story, which is told thereafter in chronological format, which is easier to read but not often used by Garcıa Marquez. The events are narrated in a linear fashion, following the lives of Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza. (The narrative structure of the novel could have started with Chapter 2 had it been a completely linear narrative.)

An interesting way of viewing the structure of Love in the Time of Cholera is suggested by the epigraph that appears at the start of the novel, which suggests that the structure be viewed as a song, a vallenato . The epigraph reads:

The words I am about to express: They now have their own crowned goddess. Leandro D ́ıaz.

To Florentino, Fermina is indeed the diosa coronada , the crowned goddess. Florentino repeats the verse verbatim at least five times throughout the novel. The first time is when Florentino sees Fermina dressed in what looks like a Greek tunic, with a garland of fresh gardenias in her hair that “made her look like a crowned goddess” (74).

Where does this epigraph come from and who is Leandro D ́ıaz? The epigraph itself is part of a vallenato, a musical genre that normally talks about folk heroes, love affairs, and other quarrels and was influenced by a combination of African, European, and folkloric Indian sounds. Leandro D ́ıaz is among the best-known singer/songwriters of such genre. However, vallenato music is an obscure genre hardly known outside Colombia. Why then would Garcıa Marquez select such a little-known musician? The epigraphs in Leaf Storm (1955), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), The General in His Labyrinth (1989), and Of Love and Other Demons (1994) bear the names of people who are highly recognizable. The epigraph in Leaf Storm is by Sophocles, one of classical Athens’s three great playwrights (the other two being Aeschylus and Euripides). The epigraph in Chronicle of a Death Foretold is by Gil Vicente, a Portuguese dramatist of the sixteenth century who wrote both in Spanish and Portuguese. The General in His Labyrinth contains an epigraph by Simón Bolívar, the South American liberator. In Of Love and Other Demons the epigraph is by Thomas Aquinas, the Italian religious philosopher of the Middle Ages turned saint who, to date, is still one of the most influential theologians of the Catholic Church.

Garcıa Marquez’s choice of a relative unknown, Leandro Dıaz, is consistent with his tendency to favor popular culture, which he views as the source of all culture, and it also signals the autobiographical nature of the story, which mirrors the love relationship between his own parents.

Another point regarding Garcıa Marquez’s selection of this musician relates to the manner in which he sometimes thinks of his writings. The Colombian magazine Cambio (Change) quoted him as saying that One Hundred Years of Solitude is a 400-page vallenato and Love in the Time of Cholera , a 380-page bolero. Bolero is another form of Latin American music, whose dance is also known as bolero. While the vallenato talks about single folk heroes, such as Colonel Aureliano Buendıa in One Hundred Years of Solitude , boleros normally depict love songs where the lovers go through penance, suffering, and often rejection, as in Love in the Time of Cholera .

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Character development in Love in the Time of Cholera depends both on the consciousness of the omniscient narrator and on the consciousness of the characters as they interact in the novel’s story line. Love in the Time of Cholera presents fewer characters than One Hundred Years of Solitude . The illusion in the former, however, is the same as in the latter. A reader envisions tumultuous crowds, large gatherings, parties, celebrations, and crowded neighborhoods with lots of people on the streets. They see a moviehouse with no empty seats, vibrant cities and towns, and people everywhere: at church, traveling, walking down the streets of Cartagena de Indias, the Colombian country side, and the streets of Paris. Most of the people in these crowds are only references without names. Some of them exist in the memory of the reader for what they were doing at the moment of the narrative, as if in a snapshot. The president of the republic is merely an enunciation, as is Dr. Adrien Proust, the father of the famous French writer Marcel Proust, and the twenty-eighth president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson. It is the same with other established literary figures, fashion designers, and generals who participated in the Colombian civil wars. They come in and out of the narrative as a sketch. Although this is true for most of the minor characters, the main characters are carefully and meticulously drawn.

Fermina Daza, Juvenal Urbino, and Florentino Ariza are developed from a social and psychological viewpoint. These viewpoints are strongly enriched by the moral and religious principles that the characters share. Whereas Fermina and Florentino appear as the two pillars on which the novel stands, Juvenal Urbino is strong enough to shake the structure and change the course of the narrative. Through the plot, which is seemingly simple yet abundant in detailed information, the reader gains extensive knowledge of who Fermina, Juvenal, and Florentino really are. The reader may end up judging them, but the author does not; without judgment, the narrative includes their likes and dislikes, preferences, shortcomings, reactions, and ambitions.

Fermina’s character is developed in three clearly defined phases. These three phases are marked by significant details within the novel. The first phase can be observed when she is a teenage girl living in her father’s house. At that time Fermina is described as long-boned, slim, with steel-blue hair and clear almond eyes, and an inborn haughtiness, diligent, and of strong character (41). She loves flowers, birds, and domestic animals. Fermina’s haughtiness, stubbornness, and cleverness can be seen when her father sends her away, on a journey to forget (102). However, the plan does not work, as the two young lovers find a way to communicate by telegraph. When Fermina returns, a year and half later, her father thinks that his daughter has forgotten her young lover. However, when she opens the balcony window the morning after their arrival, “she no longer thought of him as the impossible sweetheart but as the certain husband to whom she belonged heart and soul” (121). Most readers are therefore astonished when she decides to end the relationship, which she now sees as a chimera. With her first sight of Florentino after their long separation, the spell is broken. She argues that their love is just an illusion (126). The reader may think that her reaction is immature (recall that she is only seventeen), but the author does not comment.

The second phase in Fermina’s character development starts with the realization of her father’s dream “to turn his daughter into a great lady” (100). Lorenzo Daza wants a propitious marriage for his daughter Fermina, which results in a marriage of convenience to the renowned doctor Juvenal Urbino. Throughout her marriage, she adapts to an upper social class but never fully embraces it. She turns into a serious, faithful, and responsible woman. Hers is a stable, perfect family: a hardworking husband and two children, a boy and a girl. Of the three phases of her life, this is the longest and most tedious.

The third phase in Fermina’s character development comes when she reencounters Florentino at the death of her husband, after fifty-one years, nine months, and four days. Fermina behaves as a respectable widow, mature and self-controlled, but Florentino eventually manages to win her over. She then gives herself totally, generously sharing with him a kind of love perhaps neither had ever experienced before.

Dr. Juvenal Urbino de la Calle is meticulously developed. As readers we become aware of the smallest details of his personality and of his roles as doctor, professor, socialite, and even lover, both faithful and unfaithful. He is the personification of correctness. In all aspects of his life he seems perfect: socially, aesthetically, economically, religiously, and (almost) morally. He is the scion of a distinguished family. He completed advanced studies in medicine and surgery in Paris. He is knowledgeable in his field, in literature, in music, and in fashion; he is captivating and seducing; he is a good dancer and pianist; he possesses all the graces to make him, at the age of twenty-eight, “the most desirable of bachelors” (128). He favors classical music and prefers French literature to Spanish authors. For this purpose, he has a bookseller who periodically sends him the latest publications from Paris. Among other authors, he reads Anatole France, Pierre Loti, Remy de Gourmont, Paul Bourget, Oscar Wilde, and Victor Hugo (195–97). Although he is a practicing and extremely pious Catholic, who invokes the Holy Spirit and punctually attends all religious functions, he is unfaithful to his wife. He betrays her with Barbara Lynch, a beautiful mulatta with whom he enjoys the pleasures of a passionate affair (291–304). Consistent with his religious and moral principles, however, he repents. He confesses to his wife, asks her to forgive him, and remains faithful until he dies. However, behind all this correctness, his real self is somehow camouflaged. Indeed, he is conscious that he is not in love with his wife. He loves her exterior, but they are not compatible in temperament.

Florentino Ariza, in very many ways, is the antithesis of Dr. Juvenal Urbino. He is everything Juvenal Urbino is not. He is homely and sickly looking, has no sense of fashion, comes from a poor and broken family, holds no university degrees (in fact, he may not have finished high school), is not a practicing Catholic, prefers to read minor Spanish authors, is not a socialite, and seems to have no direction in life. However, of all the characters, he is the one who feels love the most; he loves passionately and with tremendous abandonment.

As with Fermina, Florentino’s character can be seen in three stages of development. The first stage presents Florentino as a phantom-like character. He lives a quiet life, passing unnoticed in the crowd. His only reason for existence is to watch Fermina walk through the park on her way to school and back. Other than the time he spends as a clerk at the post office, he passes most of his time reading and writing love letters to Fermina. This platonic love, which is more spiritual than physical, ends after three years with a vitrious rejection by Fermina. However, the flame of his passion for her does not fade. He waits—for fifty-one years, nine months, and four days—to reiterate his love for her.

The second developmental stage, which covers the near half-century between their meetings, turns Florentino into a man of business and of great social and economic success. His phantom-like appearance is now only the disguise for a life of indiscriminate sex. He had wanted to keep himself a virgin, to honor Fermina, but fails. From writing letters to Fermina in the first stage, he turns to writing a diary of his love affairs, and in twenty-five booklets he records 622 entries. Despite these many affairs, however, he remains single, hoping one day to marry Fermina. However, he may never have imagined how long he would have to wait.

The third stage finds Florentino an old man, bald and wearing dentures. His love for Fermina has not changed, but neither has her stubbornness, for she rejects him again at her husband’s funeral. This time, however, the rejection lasts only two weeks. Over the course of the following year, in the same way he did when they were young, Florentino writes Fermina 132 letters, and this time he wins her love. Florentino Ariza is given a second chance, and this time he is ready. He has undergone a complete metamorphosis, including his dress code (the only thing he would not change before). Florentino, from the start, is a kind of Eros (the god of love in Greek mythology), and it is his character that sustains the narrative.

It is interesting to see how Garcıa Marquez plays with the symbolism of names, as if he wanted to challenge the reader’s response regarding the moral values of Florentino. Florentino Ariza is a son of the streets, a bastard, by the mere fact that his father would not recognize him; son of the streets in Spanish is hijo de la calle . This is very close to the name that Dr. Juvenal Urbino holds proudly as part of his noble name: The doctor’s full name is Juvenal Urbino de la Calle, with a capital C.

There are also many secondary characters whose presences contribute to the changes the main characters go through. Aunt Escola ́stica is a loving, illiterate spinster who raises Fermina as if she were her own until the day her brother realizes that she is responsible for letting Florentino come close to his daughter. Then he sends her, penniless, back to San Juan de la Cie ́naga.

Lorenzo Daza, Fermina’s father, is an upstart who leaves Spain looking for a better future. In the Colombian mountain region, in San Juan de la Cie ́naga, the illiterate Spaniard’s good fortune begins when he marries Fermina Sa ́nchez, a rich farm girl whose parents are against her love for Lorenzo Daza. Lorenzo Daza’s wife gives birth to a girl called Fermina, like her mother. After his wife’s death, Lorenzo, his daughter, and his sister, Escola ́stica, move to the coastal city of Cartagena de Indias. Although lacking social skills, Lorenzo Daza buys and remodels an old colonial house in the Park of the Evangelists. A strong disciplinarian, he rules his house with an iron fist. He lacks the company of friends, enjoys drinking, and gets involved in illegal business.

Among the long list of 622 lovers are several worth mentioning, including Leona Cassiani, Sara Noriega, Olimpia Zuleta, Prudencia Pitre, Angeles Alfaro, and Ausencia Santander. Leona Cassiani represents, by far, the longest of the 622 affairs. Sara Noriega, who is overweight but happy, can be best described as a “Fat Venus.” She is particularly important as a lover because she is Florentino’s projection as a poet. He stays with her for several years, and records in his diary that he loved her. She is forty years old, ten years older than Florentino, yet she cannot climax unless she sucks on an infant’s pacifier (238). Olimpia Zuleta is among the shortest-lived affairs. She is a married woman whom it took Florentino six months to seduce. Olimpia finally gives in to desire and goes to bed with him, on a beautiful afternoon in one of his riverboats. However, an obscenity written by Florentino on her belly causes the story to end in tragedy. That same night, when Olimpia goes to bed, “having forgotten what was scrawled there,” she undresses in front of her husband, who, with a single slash of his razor, cuts her throat (263).

Prudencia Pitre is a widow like many of the women whom Florentino recorded in his diary. However, Prudencia Pitre is known as the Widow of Two because she has outlived two husbands. Like all his lovers, Angeles Alfaro, a music teacher whom Florentino describes in his diary as “the ephemeral one,” teaches Florentino something about love. He records that with her (although he had already experienced this before), “one can be in love with several people at the same time, feel the same sorrow with each, and not betray any of them” (328). Ausencia Santander, like many of the female characters in Love in the Time of Cholera , displays a total independence regarding her sexuality. It is unclear, says the narrator, whether her husband left her or she left him. Hers was a conventional marriage. They had three children, the children got married, and she began to see men at her own desire. Besides teaching him about love, all his lovers, argues Florentino Ariza, contributed to his need for being loved, for understanding love itself.

Florentino’s long list of lovers seems to contribute more to Love in the Time of Cholera than the character development of Fermina’s son and daughter; Marco Aurelio Urbino Daza and Ofelia Urbino Daza.

THEMATIC ISSUES

It may seem obvious that love is the central theme in Love in the Time of Cholera . However, the theme of love in this novel is multifaceted; it can be looked at from different perspectives. Among other thematic possibilities are the evils of a socially divided city and the implicit acts of reading and writing. All these themes, however, are intertwined and, as a result, it is difficult to separate one from the other. The theme of love, however, is the only one that encompasses them all, and it is therefore examined in the most detail.

The impetuous, idealistic, strong, and youthful love between Florentino and Fermina is totally platonic. It starts with a look, which soon turns into a gaze. Theirs is certainly the “look of love.” Florentino, at that time an apprentice at the Postal Agency, takes a telegram to Lorenzo Daza’s home address and sees the young girl reading. Fermina raises her eyes to see who is coming “and that casual glance was the beginning of a cataclysm of love that had not ended half a century later” (68). Florentino’s love is awakened first. When it starts, he is content to sit in the park by her house, to see her walk by four times a day, always in the company of her aunt, Escolastica. As Florentino feels his love grow stronger, he moves from the passive mode of seeing to a more active mode, that of writing. To declare his love to her, he writes a sixty-page letter using both sides of each page. Thus starts an epistolary love affair of immeasurable frequency and intensity. It is precisely the letter writing, and not the physical encounters, that makes their love possible. In fact, over a three-year period they only have the opportunity to talk three times. The first time is an afternoon at the end of January when Florentino wants to give Fermina a letter but she rejects it, arguing that she does not have her father’s permission. The second time is a week later, when she accepts the letter and they exchange only a few words. The third time is to receive an answer to his letter; since she has none, he insists, saying that it is a lack of courtesy to accept a letter and not to answer it. That is the last time they talk for over fifty years. Their epistolary is all they have and is what causes her expulsion from her school. Fermina’s father tries to convince her that love at her age is an illusion; he wants her to beg for forgiveness to get back into the Academy and offers her help finding happiness with a worthy suitor (99). However, Fermina, as her name implies, remains firm in her love for Florentino and does not give up. In despair, after talking with Florentino, who has also decided not to give up, Lorenzo Daza decides to take his daughter away to make her forget. They go back to the small town where they came from, San Juan de la Cienaga. Paradoxically, although their postal contact does not stop while she is away, a love that seemed eternal crumbles when she, once again, sees him. After coming back from her trip, Fermina writes Florentino a two-line letter asking him to please “forget it” (126).

Another facet of love, no less interesting than the first, is that of love between the married couple, Fermina Daza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino. Although the omniscient narrator suggests that Fermina married for convenience, there are ample suggestions that this sentiment changes over time. She enjoys her wedding trip, lovemaking, and living in Paris. After sixteen months, upon returning to Cartagena de Indias pregnant with her first child, she feels like “the happiest woman on earth” (194).

After some years, the couple goes back to Europe to renew a love that was beginning to decay because of the drudgeries and sameness of the daily routine. As a result of this second honeymoon, Fermina comes back pregnant once again. The instances of love that she shows for her husband are many, particularly the gestures of love in their old age. In the last few minutes before his death, the omniscient narrator discloses that between them there was indeed a true love, a love that Dr. Juvenal Urbino seemed to realize he had failed to communicate to her, when he speaks his last words, “only God knows how much I loved you” (56). Dr. Urbino is more a spiritual man than a physical one. He loves Fermina conceptually, for being his wife and the mother of his children, rather than for being the woman she is. He is rather incapable of looking at sex without pondering the scientific insight regarding how the human body functions. His moral and religious values do not allow him to be a good lover, at home or elsewhere. With the sensuous and sexual, young, beautiful Miss Lynch, the sex act becomes comical but sad. He spends the exact amount of time needed to give an injection during a routine visit (298). However, for Fermina, being conceptually happy is not enough. After returning from the honeymoon happy and remaining so for six years (until they move to their own house), she feels like a prisoner in a strange house and, even worse, that she is with a man who was not her dream (249). During that time, Fermina comes to believe that behind the professional authority and worldly charm of her husband there is a hopeless weakling (250). When they move into their own house, things are not much different. While she is loved, catered to, and even feared in public, at home she feels like a deluxe servant, not a loved wife (268). While discussing this second facet of love—the love between Fermina and Dr. Urbino—it is worth noting what Fermina feels for Florentino. Although she represses any feeling toward him, the narrator reveals that she often thinks of him. During the fifty-one years while she is married to Juvenal Urbino, she thinks of Florentino with compassion and nostalgia; she even feels tormented by guilt (247).

The third facet of love is described in the last chapter of the novel. Fermina is now seventy-two years old and Florentino is seventy-seven. He feels he has the right to make up for lost time and on the very day of her husband’s burial, he expresses once again his vow of everlasting love, but again she rejects him.

Although Florentino and Fermina are now an elderly couple, their ability to deal with love seems unchanged. Once again, the means of bringing them together is letter writing, which is how they express their feelings. This time it is Fermina who writes first, sending a three-page letter full of insults. Over the following year, Florentino writes her 132 letters. He starts writing once a week, then twice a week, and then every day. While Fermina does not answer any of the letters, she keeps them to find solace and to reflect upon Florentino’s writing. On the first anniversary of her husband’s death, Florentino attends the memorial mass, without being invited. This is his chance to talk to Fermina again. She greets him and thanks him for coming.

Two weeks later Florentino comes to visit her. Although he is uninvited and unannounced, she receives him, nevertheless. Hereafter, their Tuesday visits are as frequent and consoling as the letters, and they become great friends. Fermina’s son approves of their relationship, but her daughter does not. Ofelia tenaciously opposes, arguing that love at their age “is revolting” (392). Neither Ofelia, the rumor of Florentino’s homosexuality, nor anything else convinces Fermina to stop seeing him. Instead, she accepts Florentino’s invitation to go on a riverboat cruise along the Magdalena River. Playfully, Garcıa Marquez gives the boat the name New Fidelity. The couple’s unstoppable drive to be together is finally realized.

A different facet of love that the novel brings to the reader’s attention is unfaithfulness. Violating the marriage vows, Dr. Juvenal Urbino embarks on an extramarital affair. Contrary to his impeccable correctness at home, in public, and in his profession, Dr. Urbino breaks social and racial codes and, after thirty years of marriage, falls in love with Barbara Lynch. Thirty years younger, the beautiful twenty-eight-year old mulatta causes the marriage to crumble. Dr. Urbino’s desire for Ba ́rbara Lynch is out of control. He thinks of her all day and, incapable of stopping his passion, he feels the torment of guilt. After six months he ends the affair, but Fermina leaves him and stays away for two years.

Florentino Ariza enjoys yet another kind of love, if, indeed, promiscuous affairs with over 600 women can be described as a form of love. As a kind of hunter, Florentino engages in casual love. Florentino responds to raw desire. His sex partners are simply outlets to appease his desire and ward off his desperate solitude. Regardless, however, he feels they all teach him something.

The second theme in Love in the Time of Cholera is the division of classes in society. The difference between rich and poor in the novel is remarkable. Although the novel does not suggest the existence of any turmoil or open conflict between the different social classes, the disparities are obvious to the reader. The social, economic, and racial scenery of the novel brings to the forefront a small group of rich, white people, among which the Urbino de la Calle family is one of the most prestigious. This group constitutes the ruling class: it includes civil authorities, the high ranks of the military, and a few impoverished aristocratic families. Different racial groups make up the balance of the classes and represent the majority: Chinese immigrants, blacks, mulattos, and Indians, many of whom live in abject poverty. A good number of these people work as slave-like servants in the households of the wealthy.

The novel repeatedly takes notice of the differences between the rich and the poor. While the rich live in the ancestral homes in the district of the Viceroys and the residential district of La Manga, the aspiring middle classes live elsewhere. The poor live in a section of the city where the landscape includes pestilence, unnumbered houses, loud music, and children running around nude—a part of the city not surprisingly known as the old slave quarter—which is a death trap for the poor (23).

The rich in the novel attend lavish parties. They accompany their celebrations and dances with string quartets, bands, and orchestras playing music by Mozart and Schubert. Although the poor are seen everywhere, the rich do not mingle with them. Upward mobility can be achieved through economic success, but entrance to social clubs of the elite is reserved for legitimate descendants, born into families with an ancestral name. The marked stratification of class is observed everywhere. At the cathedral, for example, the first few pews are reserved for their lifetime owners, whose names are engraved on copper nameplates on the back of the seats (360). The rest of the congregation can sit elsewhere; however, the poorest, being mostly mulattos and blacks, must sit in the back.

The novel also suggests that the boundary between rich and poor is not insurmountable. It is interesting to note that Lorenzo Daza, although a plebeian by birth, changes his fortune in life, as well as that of his daughter. Fermina, who because of her manners seems to define a new type of societal class, is the product of a well-thought-out, well-executed plan. First, Lorenzo Daza moves from the countryside to the coastal city to provide his daughter Fermina with the formal instruction she would need. He registers her in a religious school for rich girls. Then he manages to marry her to Dr. Juvenal Urbino. With this marriage, Fermina enters a social and economic world totally different from her own—a world she is not prepared to move into. Upon her return from her honeymoon and for six consecutive, painful, and hateful years, Fermina undergoes the “training” that her mother-in-law puts her through. While she learns and adapts to her new social class, she never fully abandons her roots, and she maintains her spontaneity, her love for nature, and a touch of crudeness in her speech.

Florentino Ariza is another example of someone who successfully changes his lot in life. Unlike Fermina’s change of fate, his is the result of a decision of his own, made, not for upward mobility, but to make him worthy of Fermina’s love. For thirty years, he works at all types of jobs within the River Company of the Caribbean, ending up as president of the Board of Directors, general manager, and, eventually, owner. He restores his house to reflect his new social economic status but also to be prepared to be worthy of Fermina Daza when his next opportunity comes along.

Another salient aspect on the theme of class division is the incorporation of mulattoes into different subplots within the novel. Jeremiah Saint-Love, the mulatto who kills himself at the outset of Love in the Time of Cholera , is Dr. Juvenal Urbino’s friend. Two mulattas presented in the novel are alternately treated both as object and subject. Barbara Lynch, some may argue, is the object of an elderly, powerful man who wants her for sexual favors. However, Dr. Urbino also expresses love for her. Leona Cassiani, also a mulatta, goes to all public functions with Florentino Ariza. She gains the respect of those with whom she works at the River Company of the Caribbean and moves into the highest ranks of the company. Florentino falls in love with her but she rejects him. In spite of this, however, they remain good friends.

An interesting aspect of the theme of a socially divided society is that it appears to be deteriorating. Fermina Daza, Florentino Ariza, and Leona Cassiani seem to signal a change in the social order, and to offer the availability of upward mobility. The old, rich, aristocratic, and insulated world of the elite, the highest social level (represented by families like the Urbinos de la Calle), is disappearing. Although the instances are many, the reader notices that the actions of Dr. Juvenal Urbino de la Calle seem to make the loudest statement of this change. First, he marries a woman outside his social class. Second, he moves from his former palace of the Marquis de Casalduero to a new house in a neighborhood of the nouveaux riches (the new rich). Third, and probably most significant, his family name will no doubt die with his children. His children, says the narrator, were two undistinguished ends of a line. His son, Marco Aurelio, continues the narrative, has done nothing worthy of note—he has not even produced a child. His daughter, Ofelia, has three daughters but no sons. Thus, the name, the tradition, and the old social order symbolically die with Dr. Urbino’s children.

SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The reader may have the feeling that this is just a strange love story, but it is far more: the civil unrest, superstition, civil wars, disappearance of a colonial power, and birth of a new middle class that surround the love story are of significance in themselves. Garcıa Marquez goes to considerable efforts to document the historical setting of this novel. He uses actual historical figures such as the president of Colombia at the time of the tale, Rafael Nunez, a statesman and writer born in Cartagena de Indias (a favored physical setting of Garcıa Marquez’s work), and several liberal generals in the Colombian armed forces, including Ricardo Gaitan Obeso, who, in fact, fought against the government of President Rafael Nunez. President Rafael Nunez and General Gaitan Obeso represent the two great opposing political forces in Colombia’s government and in Garcıa Marquez’s writing. The president was a member of the Conservative Party and the general was in the Liberal Party. The setting of Love in the Time of Cholera also includes, although as mere references, actual historical events such as the War of a Thousand Days and the massacre of striking banana workers in 1928.

Love in the Time of Cholera , on a much smaller scale than One Hundred Years of Solitude , is concerned with the Colombian civil wars of the last part of the nineteenth century and the violence of the first two decades of the twentieth century. These historical and political concerns, however, may pass unnoticed by the reader because that indeed is the intent. If One Hundred Years of Solitude disguises these concerns through the uses of myth, fantasy, hyperbole, and magic realism, Love in the Time of Cholera disguises them through its depiction of a long, sometimes exasperating, love affair. However, the cholera that appears like a sign in the title of the novel is, in fact, a bad omen and can be seen as a symbol of the historical violence that Colombia continues to undergo.

The superabundance of information in Love in the Time of Cholera will go unnoticed unless the reader is inquisitive and meticulous. For example, when Garcıa Marquez describes Fermina’s bird, he says that it was bought right before the last civil war based on a rumor of an upcoming visit by the Pope. The government spread the rumor to scare the liberals. The reader, on the one hand, has to understand that the concept of a civil war is used to describe the ongoing political wars of liberals against conservatives that lasted through the 1960s; and, on the other hand, that the papal visit is indeed fictional, for no Pope ever visited Colombia until 1973. If the reader pays attention to references like this, then the novel can be seen to denounce what the government wanted to hide: the killings of people who appeared floating in the Magdalena River. There are allusions of discontent against the conservative government throughout the novel. Even the parrot, the indirect cause of Dr. Juvenal Urbino’s death, shouts, “long live the Liberal Party damn it, a reckless cry that had cost many a carefree drunk his life” (33).

The time frame of the narrative pays close attention to a bygone era, some readers may say, and pays no attention to the violence that Colombia was undergoing in the mid-1980s, when Love in the Time of Cholera was published. There are readers, though, who may see the many references to violence, political turmoil, corruption, and the devastation of nature, along with the cholera in the title, as a way of pointing out that violence is a constant element of both social and political life in Colombia. If Love in the Time of Cholera were to be seen as irresponsible for not dealing with the oppression, violence, and the social and economic disparities that Garcıa Marquez is known to denounce, then the reader would still have to consider the treatment that Garcıa Marquez gives to love in this novel. Love in the novel is not carefree, easy flowing, spontaneous, and idealized. Although Florentino idealizes Fermina and the love he feels for her, everything around him is hostile. The narrative does not make life easy for an illegitimate child, Florentino, just because he is in love. As literary critic Jose Luis Mendez wrote, the social conventions, the economic ambitions, the ideological and political prejudices, and even the twisted understanding of patriotism, interfere with everyday life and the way the characters love and make love (Mendez 196). While it is true that love triumphs in the novel, Garcıa Marquez is not providing a model where love escapes social and biological laws, but rather the opposite. Love in the Time of Cholera refuses to accept the conventional time frame for falling in love and ignores the limitations thought to be imposed by aging; it rejects the fact that prestige and social rank must, in the end, destroy love, but furnishes the narration with the social and economic components that interfere with the love between Florentino and Fermina and between Dr. Juvenal Urbino and Fermina. Florentino has to undergo the transitional changes both socially and economically that make him deserving of Fermina’s love, and Fermina has to learn the manners of the social group that she marries into when she marries Dr. Juvenal Urbino.

The comparison between One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera observed by many readers and critics is perhaps inevitable. Almost everything Garcıa Marquez has written since the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude in 1967 is compared to it. One of the best comparisons is that of sociologist and literary critic Jose ́ Luis Me ́ndez who points out that in One Hundred Years of Solitude there is no hope for starting anew, but in Love in the Time of Cholera there is hope for salvation through the power of love. The universe described by the narrative voice in One Hundred Years of Solitude is, in the end, completely destroyed “because races condemned to One Hundred Years of Solitude did not have a second chance on earth,” as the narrator explains in the closing paragraph of the novel (448). In Love in the Time of Cholera , however, in the end, the characters that inhabit the novel do not perish. The novel does not end with the total destruction of the universe it has created. A second chance on earth, which was denied to the characters of One Hundred Years of Solitude , is given to those who love in Love in the Time of Cholera .

Love is seen as the redeeming force that saves both humanity and its history. Love, then, appears as a driving force that defies everything. As if in biblical terms, the narrator seems to state that it is not yet too late to stop the end of humanity and to reach out for justice and happiness. However, there is no naive idealism in the narrative voice of the novel. Nothing is taken for granted, and the narrator is ready to remind us that the world around the characters of Love in the Time of Cholera is too oppressive to ignore. That is why the riverboat in which Fermina and Florentino travel, although utopian in its intent, sports a flag signaling cholera and cannot find a secure port to dock. The novel ends with the reader wondering if Fermina and Florentino will ever be able to come ashore and exercise their second chance. Love, to Garcıa Marquez, is a kind of philosophical tool, a way of looking at the world. As the sociologist and literary critic Jose Luis Mendez pointed out, Garcıa Marquez expressed this philosophy “on love” three years before the publication of Love in the Time of Cholera when he addressed the Nobel Academy in Stockholm. On the occasion of accepting the Nobel Prize, Garcıa Marquez delivered a speech that argued against the scientific possibility of a nuclear disaster. In closing, Gabriel Garcıa Marquez spoke of a new utopia:

Where no one will be able to decide for others how they die, where love will prove true and happiness possible, and where the races condemned to One Hundred Years of Solitude will have, at last and forever, a second opportunity on earth. (Garcıa Marquez 1988, 91)

If the reader fails to see the political turmoil behind the story it is understandable, for once again, as in all of Gabriel Garcıa Marquez’s writings, Love in the Time of Cholera is multilayered and can be read from multiple perspectives, depending on the reader. The art of storytelling is in the foreground, and this time readers of Garcıa Marquez will come away feeling they understand the book: it is a love story where reality is all around. It is a novel that is both romantic and realist.

ALTERNATIVE READING: FEMINIST THEORY

When a reader first hears the term feminist, he or she may immediately think in terms of the status of women. Feminism can be studied from different viewpoints: linguistic, political, economic, sociological, psychological, biological, or other. For some critics from developed nations of the Western world, it is nearly canonical that feminist literary criticism began with the women’s movement that followed World War II. For such critics, the two most commonly referenced authors are Simone de Beauvoir and Kate Millett. However, dating the origin of feminism to these two authors seems rather simplistic if the reader realizes that the two books selected by such critics were not published until 1949, for Le Deuxième Sexe ( The Second Sex ) by Beauvoir; and 1970, for Sexual Politics by Millett. In The Second Sex , Beauvoir examines how male authors have developed female characters in literary texts.

The fight for equal rights for women, in whatever manner, however, goes back much further than 1949. By the turn of the twentieth century there was already a movement for women’s suffrage (the right to vote). In fact, the struggle for women’s rights may have started as early as the eighteenth century. Indeed, Mary Wollstonecraft published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792.

Nowadays, and as early as the late 1960s, those interested in feminist theory approached it as a subject of study in colleges and universities around the world. In a general way, feminist theory aims to accomplish the following:

• To review, expose, and critique those standards where the orientation is patriarchal, whether in literature, politics, civil rights, power, sexuality, race, and other aspects of life;

• To recover texts written by women that have been either forgotten, lost, or neglected;

• To understand the cultural parameters involved in the construction of gender and identity.

Many feminist critics, to some degree, continue to be misunderstood in the belief that the issues investigated by feminist theory not only have to be women centered, but also have to be seen from a woman’s point of view. This not only excludes women who may look at a text from a viewpoint that disregards gender issues, but also prevents men from doing a feminist reading of any given text.

From a pedagogical point of view, feminist theory can be accepted as a method or technique to study a text. As such, the critic questions longstanding, dominant, male ideologies and patriarchal attitudes and interpretations of literature. Is such an approach more or less feminist because a male rather than a female critic carries it out? There is debate among feminists themselves on this question. According to American feminist writer and celebrity of the women’s movement in the early and mid-1990s, Naomi Wolf, feminism “should be broadly understood as a humanistic movement for social justice” (139). Feminists in Latin America, possibly to gain support, sponsor the values of maternity and wifehood. They believe that these two roles bring reforms, first within the family, and thereafter within society as a whole. In literature, the Mexican writer Sara Sefchovich observes this in her novel La senora de los suenos (1993).

A feminist reading of Love in the Time of Cholera would show how the female characters are portrayed in the space and time where they live in the novel. Clearly, not all the female characters in the novel are alike, nor are the central female characters treated alike. A feminist reading might consider whether they reacted and responded in a manner often described as feminine (not feminist), regardless of social class, race, and education. The rich and educated women of the novel are not necessarily the ones with the strongest character or the women whom the male characters desire sexually, but they do exercise their own sexuality. The female characters in Love in the Time of Cholera are in control of their sexuality. They are developed as free, strong, and independent. They do not correspond to a stereotype, a ready-made model repeated by both male and female writers, where Latin American women are voiceless and submissive.

While Love in the Time of Cholera depicts such disparate female roles as those of mother and prostitute, neither one of the two characterizations lacks voice or will. The world of the novel is a matriarchal one. Without his mother, Fermina Daza, and all the women that come in and out of Florentino’s life, the novel could not develop in the manner it does. Florentino Ariza and Juvenal Urbino are not sexist; they do not see women as inferior beings. Although, in itself, this is not a novel that shows the battle of the sexes, the roles played by women are the strongest. Even though written by a male, the novel points out significant signs of a matriarchal universe. To this extent, Gabriel Garcıa Marquez has expressed, in an interview with Ana Cristina Navarro, that women are the strong being, and thanks to them history is able to continue its normal course. My women, says the Colombian author, are more in touch with reality. They have their feet firmly planted on the ground. They are solid, patient, true. And Garcıa Marquez adds, men are creatures of dreams, capable of the most crazy and magnificent actions, but unable to be patient or trustworthy. They are weaklings in the face of adversity. They search for support in women, who are as firm as rocks. This, he concludes, is how the world is in Macondo and elsewhere.

Fermina Daza is certainly Florentino’s sweetheart, and at the time of their youth, around the mid-1800s, she believes in romance and the power of the written word. To Fermina Daza, Florentino’s letters carry more meaning than her own studies, her father, or even the Church. Her world, at the age of seventeen, is interrupted by her interfering father but never completely dominated by him. Garcıa Marquez provides her with a voice of her own. It is hard to imagine a young woman of the nineteenth century more independent than Fermina Daza. It is she who ends the relationship between herself and Florentino. She was fully aware when it started, and she calls it off without a tear or a fight, remaining in complete control. To neither of the two loves of her life— Florentino Ariza or Juvenal Urbino—is she an object. At all times she projects herself as a subject. She is a woman who is aware of her roles as mother, wife, friend, and public person. Fermina is stable, strong, confident, and poised. She knows exactly where she has been and where the winds of life are taking her. She fights for what she wants, and against a social world she does not embrace, old and decaying traditions of the noble families, hypocrisy and gossip, Ofelia, her own daughter (to defend Florentino), and her right to love and be loved.

Whereas the strength of Fermina is observed throughout the length of the book, the novel opens with the weakness of a male character who kills himself because he cannot endure the prospect of getting old. Jeremiah Saint-Amour, a photographer of children, commits suicide because he is turning sixty years old. Saint-Amour (the name translates into English as Saint of Love ) is, without a doubt, the opposite of Fermina.

Love in the Time of Cholera contorts the roles of male and female characters that we are used to observing, but it does so without being biased or judgmental. Whereas the reader makes the association of a “Saint of Love” with Jeremiah’s last name, Garcıa Marquez describes the black Haitian character as a saint but, he adds ironically, “An atheistic saint” (10). Another instance of contorting roles comes with the violence and sexual abuse inflicted on women during rape. Feminism looks at rape as a form of cultural oppression. In rape, women are treated as sex objects. The psychological scars of rape are so deep that most women have difficulty ever seeing themselves as subjects of love again. In Love in the Time of Cholera , this situation is inverted. The sexual assault is on a man, Florentino Ariza, whose rape is the result of a plan elaborated by the perpetrator in its smallest detail. As is expected in any rape, Florentino is desperate to know the identity of the violating mistress. It is interesting to note that the object of the rape, a male, feels gratitude. This version of rape, which inverts the structure of oppression in which the victim hates the perpetrator, is also observed in a female character. Leona Cassiani, like Florentino Ariza, is also raped in the novel. The circumstances for them both are similar. The victim is taken by surprise, the clothes are ripped off, and, in a forceful, frenetic fashion, he or she is raped. Florentino Ariza never sees the face of his perpetrator, nor does Leona Cassiani. However, both Florentino and Leona long to see that person again. Leona Cassiani goes on to say that she could recognize him in a crowd of a thousand men because of his shape and size and his way of making love (313). Leona spends years looking for him, not to turn him in to the authorities but to love him.

Garcıa Marquez not only inverts, but also subverts, the traditional way of looking at rape. The inversion comes from having women rape men, and the subversion by changing the feeling of hate into one of love. Neither Leona Cassiani nor Florentino Ariza develops a form of hatred of the opposite sex, as is expected to occur with rape. In fact, the two of them triumph in their own right and fall in love with each other. Leona, however, is the stronger of the two. While it is true, according to feminist author Simone de Beauvoir, that “all oppression creates a state of war” (717), the war that these two fight is one of self-growth, self-love, and self-respect.

In Love in the Time of Cholera the female characters are active beings in control of their own lives. There is no need to change from oppressed to oppressor, as some feminists would want, because there is no feeling of inferiority among the women characters. As the tone of the novel is ruled by love, the women do not have to dominate the men in order to defend themselves. There is no room for what Naomi Wolf calls “victim feminism” because there is no hatred within the female characters. In victim feminism, women look at themselves as weak beings, subjugated by men, and therefore must deny and attack the values and truths of what might be considered patriarchal. The women characters of Love in the Time of Cholera do not show such a reaction. In achieving economic independence (a basic feminist principle), none of the female characters resorts to victim feminism. Victim feminism, states Naomi Wolf, “depends on influence or persuasion rather than on seeking clout in a straightforward way” (Wolf 136). Tra ́nsito Ariza, a single parent and Florentino’s mother, manages to single-handedly buy and restore a colonial house, run a small private business, and even lend money to the rich. In addition, she spends time with Florentino, sharing with him her love for reading. The best example of a triumphant woman and the antithesis of victim feminism is Leona Cassiani. She is, without a doubt, a self-made woman. Black, young, and pretty, she is first taken for a prostitute. However, what she wants is employment. The head of personnel at the River Company of the Caribbean, where Florentino works, gives her the lowest-level job, and Leona Cassiani performs that job with seriousness, modesty, and dedication for three years (222). Meanwhile, driven by self-pride and obvious self-assurance, she studies English at home and takes an evening class in typing. This ambition comes from a woman whose only formal education is elementary school and the School of Millinery (where one learns to make hats). Her determination pays off; Leona Cassiani eventually becomes economically independent, a homeowner, socially active, and the personal assistant to Leo XII, president-owner of the River Company of the Caribbean. Florentino Ariza falls in love with her, but the night he declares his love, she answered “it was too late” (207). From that night on, “Florentino Ariza understood at last that it is possible to be a woman’s friend and not go to bed with her” (227). This exemplifies the right of exercising complete control of one’s sexuality and the right to be heard, two valued aspects of feminist theory. The female characters of Love in the Time of Cholera (some more than others) all have a voice of their own and control over their bodies, and they all look at themselves as subjects. Women like Fermina Daza, Leona Cassiani, and the Widow Nazaret are all capable of breaking away from the state of affairs they are in—the social order in which they are born. They manage to overcome inner conflict and even trauma in order to live a life of fulfillment and, better yet, a life where the love they feel rules.

Love in the Time of Cholera fares well under a feminist reading because it vindicates the possibilities of women triumphing over the prejudices of age, race, and social class. There are instances of violence against women and women who are voiceless and weak, common traits of patriarchal writing, but those instances are not the focus of the novel; they are peripheral. They confirm the fact that, although both males and females have the possibility to overcome everything and anything before them, there are obstacles that not all can surpass. Just as Jeremiah Saint- Amour committed suicide to keep his promise of never getting old, so does Ame ́rica Vicun ̃a, who is young and beautiful and leaves no note. However, their deaths seem to reaffirm the thirst for love of Fermina and Florentino.

Bibliography America, September 3, 1988: 159. Bell, Michael. “Not Flaubert’s Parrot: Love in the Time of Cholera .” In Gabriel Garcıa Marquez: Solitude and Solidarity. Ed. Michael Bell. Modern Novelists. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993. 106–26. Bell-Villada, Gene H. “The Novelist of Love.” In Garcıa Marquez: The Man and His Work. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. 86. Choice Journal, September 1988: 26. The Christian Science Monitor, May 12, 1988: 20. Economist, January 1988: 308. Library Journal, March 15, 1988: 113. Me ́ndez, Jose ́ Luis. Co ́mo leer a Garcıa Marquez: Una interpretacio ́n sociolo ́gica. 2nd ed. Puerto Rico: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1992. New York Review of Books, April 28, 1988: 35. New York Times Book Review, April 10, 1988: 1. Newsweek, April 25, 1988: 111. Rodr ́ıguez, Carlos R. “El amor y el co ́lera en tiempos de Garcıa Marquez.” In Repertorio cr ́ıtico sobre Gabriel Garcıa Marquez. Ed. Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda. Vol. 2. Bogota ́: Instituto Caro y Cuervo, 1995. 239–44. Simons, Marlise. “Garcıa Marquez on Love, Plagues, and Politics.” New York Times Book Review, February 21, 1988: 1, 23–25. Time, March 28, 1988: 131. Tratos y Retrators: Relations and Portraits. Dir. Silvia Lemus. Trans. Carla V. Smallwood. Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1998.

Source: Rubén Pelayo – Gabriel García Márquez A Critical Companion (2001, Greenwood)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Cycle of Love

Liked or faved by...

Other works by Vic Evora...

The fog hangs low this Sabbath mo… I saw a rose I could’ve… Red shimm’ring petals, not one tho… Out in the distance, so forlorn As I approached, a wintry breeze

Steady there it goes Life unfolds on the big stage From cradle to grave No second chances no breaks Sadly no multiple takes

For three days it rained Torrential unforgiving Thunder and lightning The storm passed on finally And the sun peeked playfully

Afterglow Then, nightfall Silv’ry moon Quarter high Billion stars

o’er the still waters faint glimme… done! the reign of darkness, the e… dark clouds unraveled to welcome t… and farther east brand-new day has… the dawn upon us; voiding the shad…

Last sunday afternoon had nothing to offer The cable on the blink due to the bad weather Trapped inside the house

A water droplet on a blade of gras… One dewy dreamlike beautiful morni… But the sun’s rays vaporized it; a… The verdant blade suddenly more da… In the radiant glare of the early…

A New Way of Seeing It All In the dungeon, nothing but utter… That even without a blindfold, no… But in the upper room, we can see… The light exposes what is; and eve…

In late summer afternoon, the sky’… As roaring thunder could be heard… And the rays of the sun– on raindr… It’s a picturesque sunset that we… Usual harbinger of a pleasant tomo…

It’s morning The sun shines Wear a smile Have a laugh Shed no tears

He held her hand, but he knew it’s… Not an ounce of affection in her e… Sad lonely life he’s doomed to dis… None but himself to blame for love… Fine pearl he’s found, but he’s un…

From deep sleep, slowly, he awaken… Eyes half-opened skyward obsidian… Semi-conscious he spoke but not a… Vocal cords sadly muffled as he cr… Glancing left, he sees southern li…

Quickly, time moves forward! All of the passing years Have caught me unaware... And soon the end appears Have I enjoyed the laughter?

center I see my father Every morning when I shave He speaks to me From beyond the grave…

In my dreams of late I hear angels ululate Voices undulate It’s not me they celebrate But One all-knowing and great

Pilipinas Noon, Ano na ngayon?
Daang Matuwid
Usaping Pangkapayapaan
Coherent Sentences

BINABASA MO ANG

School Requirement also :) I just post it to share XD Random Thoughts ^_^V Hope You Like it <3

# business # coherent # daangmatuwid # education # filipino # kapayapaan # lipunan # ngayon # noon # pagbabago # peace # philippine # pilipinas # sentences

Post to Your Profile
Share via Email

Report Story

“Love is a collection of hearts, ready to give, share and understand. It never fades and never ends. It only reminds us that life is not perfect without love.” This quotation tells us that since birth love is inside us and it keeps on growing as we became older. If there is life cycle, there is also a love cycle. And this cycle starts with our parents love towards one another, followed by the attention and love given by our relatives when we were born. Then , as we grow older, especially when we step inside a school we learn how to socialize and be friends with other people that eventually developed into a strong bond. Next, we need to love ourselves first before loving someone special wholeheartedly. After that, when we get married and have our own offspring, we will focus our attention on them and for their future just like how our parents do. And then, the cycle continues.

First, parents love towards one another. We all know that without our parents we will not be standing here in this world of twist and turns. We are born out of our parents blazing love and we continue living until now because of love. Mothers take care of their babies inside her womb for nine months, while the father takes care of her. After nine months , the baby was born and raised by his parents with love. They are ready to give all of our needs, they share their stories for us to have a reference if ever we encounter the same situation and even though we had our shares of mistakes they understands us and always accepts us at the end of the day. Their love for us has no boundaries and it is unconditional. The second one is the attention and love that we receive from our relatives and close family friends. They are the one, together with our parents, to witness our growth. They are with us when we were introduce to God, they are with us to guide us and help us in socializing to other persons. There are times that our parents became very protective to us and in that particular time our relatives will be the one to tell them to loosen up a bit. If we fall , if we gain scatches or wounds they will say that it is part of growing up.

Next is friends. There is a saying that “No man is an island.” In order to survive we must socialize to other persons. And socialization in school is best when you were with friends. Friendship is a special gift, generously given, happily accepted and deeply appreciated. Having a strong bond with friends is a form of love. Just like what is stated above, “Love is a collection of hearts...” and this hearts doesn’t necessarily mean that it is from a special someone. Sometimes , at a young age , we are already happy with the presence of our friends. With our friends, we give and share our time and effort. We understands and accepts the flaws, insecurities, weaknesses of one another and make fun of it in a positive way. In times on need, we help each other because we love one another and we care about each other. Even though , we already have different lives the friendship that we have never fades and never ends.

Next in the cycle is loving yourself first before loving someone special. It is not healthy to love someone more than anything else, you must learn to love yourself first. Especially when you were already married and have a child. You must think of the consequences and the possible outcomes of what you are doing because the child will be the one to suffer if you don’t know how to properly handle your relationship because you only think of your partners side. If you were still boyfriend/girlfriend, you don’t have to give all your love to your partner, you must have love for yourself. Because just like what the song said, “too much love will kill you.” Loving yourself first, doesn’t mean that you will be selfish. Loving yourself means that you know when to fight and when to give up. Martyrdome , nowadays is not a trend. We should know our limitations and the limitations of our partner. If one of you come overboard, Talk first. Talking won’t harm you. If it doens’t work then sort things out then decide whether to continue or not. If your relationship go smoothly then you decided to be married and have a family. Then , that is when the cycle turn upside down. Because now, you will be the parents , and you need to show your children the love that you felt when you were younger. You will be the one to guide them and you will be the one to show them that love is unconditional. That love never fades and never ends.

To sum it up, here is a quote that will tell that love is truly a cycle. “To love without reflecting is like eating without digesting. Love is not always about the action. Love after all is a thoughtful process.” The love cycle that was mention above must all be met in order to know that we already have our happy ever after. Even though the saying, “There is no forever.” is trending. I must say that there is a love that last forever because we have God above us, that is always watching and guiding us. Then , there is our parents, they will never leave us no matter what happened. and then you, yourself, can love yourself forever. That is why I believe that there is love that last forever.

Essay on Love for Students and Children in 1000 Words

Here you will an essay on love for students and children in 1000+ words. It includes significance, different views, friendship vs love, history and more about love in paragraphs.

There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment. – Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

Table of Contents

There are different hierarchies of necessity defined to understand human psychology. It composes the first level of the authority of the basic needs of life that is Air, water, food are the most essential and unavoidable needs of human existence.

Since they are quickly receiving, we pay little attention to them. The second stage of the hierarchy is the love for love among our family and friends.

Materialistic needs to follow this, and when a person meets all those needs, he looks for certain things additional and all these things mean nothing to him.

Further, he moves to self-realization. However, here, we will focus on the second level of the hierarchy – the significance of love in our life.

The significance of family love for emotional well-being cannot be underestimated. The value of family love experienced by an individual affects it from infancy through adolescence to adulthood. Love, in the family’s context, is unlike any other.

Family members are the people with whom we most involve. They make sense of our life, and anything about you and they are the persons you cannot live without them. People call them when something good or bad happens.

Definition of Love in One Line

If you define love in one line – Love is one of the most intimate feelings anyone experiences.

Love is all about

To love and wish to be loved are natural human characters. Everyone is in seek of genuine love throughout life. Blessed are those who get their love and relish comfort.

Love Is All Around You. It requires all that is the right perception. As soon as a baby takes birth, he or she endows with paternal love. Parents struggle day and night to nurture and provide him with the best in this world can offer.

They sweat during the day and then wake up at night taking care of their cherub. When the baby grows a little younger, she or he gets the love of his peers. With her growing age, the circle of love also widens. Friends are milestones in one’s life. Further, we all love our faithful friends who have stood for us in the middle of our lives.

Then there comes the most crucial phase of life. The search for a life partner begins. Genuine love is experienced and defined in this phase of life. It is normal human behavior to reproduce and continue the chain of life.

To do this, we all look for the most compatible person. With whom we want to share all the mistakes and successes of life . Love opens the way for life and future generations. A new cycle begins at this stage of life. However, this is the usual course of love and not necessarily compulsory.

Love felling on Someone

Love is beyond any restrictions and rules. Loving someone is enjoyed being the best situation in your life. Love has extreme powers and can make everything possible.

We all have hidden potential. It requires all that is to recognize and inspire. Someone can share the hard times of life with the right person by his side.

“Loving yourself” is the main mantra and driving force of the universe.

A person cannot love anyone if he or she does not love themselves. Being in love and others to love even the desire can only be realized if you value and love your life and existence in this cosmos.

Love knows no bounds and discriminations. This world is a beautiful creation of the almighty, and with love, we can fill the best of colors, making it more vibrant.

A person without love with a friend is the devil.

From ancient times, man’s primary purpose was to live in groups. This fellowship among humans leads to societies. Even now, in the age of technology , man needs a mate to help with life and share feelings.

Connection of True Friendship and Love

Someone who without being in your life, you know it would be completely different. Yes, this is the girlfriend who gives emotional love balance in the romantic situation.

Friendships are one of life’s greatest joys. Find someone with you can share your heartbeat – someone who understands and accepts you the way you are invaluable. When we have a deep friendship with someone of the opposite sex, it is a tremendous loving status.

There is much more to enjoy and learn in both sexes. However, sometimes, these friendships of the opposite sex can also be an enormous challenge.

One of the most joyful but frightening barriers a friendship faces when an individual falls in love with his best friend of the opposite sex. Feelings can be intense, and the fear of revealing them can paralyze.

After being a wonderful friend with her for some time, you should be able to understand her moods. You shall feel love if the friendship has become more of a romance and to her.

If you feel these signs, you might talk about them with the wonderful friend you love deeply, best friends become able to talk about almost everything.

Life is an ongoing journey, and when you find the minor things in life to love, it gets much sensible. People have been so fragile that they will pour love into everything.

Surroundings yourself with love, with those you love and those also love you. The feeling of love also occurs with the surrounding inhabitants like pets, even if you have just a black Labrador puppy.

The Unconditional Love for Love

Unconditional love is an extraordinary thing, and two persons can give and receiving that kind of affection that is love for love. This is progressively clear in modern society, where the fast-paced lifestyle hardly leaves any space for investments and emotional connections.

This may be precisely the reason it is the ideal time to bring the theme of unconditional love into the limelight. People need to feel hopeful, and the tales and experiences of unconditional love merge their faith in humanity.

History of Loves

The history books offer great records of the love lives of many characters are in our memory as ideal examples of love. The feeling of belonging is born precisely the moment you are in love.

Except for love with the family members, it may happen with others also, which is near to you. Particularly those who care about their soul mate find peace in this gift of God.

The sages of all times have said that love gives a deeper meaning to everything. The power of love makes us feel that we are not alone. Loving the right person makes you feel the same as being in your sweet home.

The grace of God is in love

Always remember that if you are faithful to your love, your prayers, efforts, and thoughts will be answered by God. If you love someone with everything you have, you will become successful in completing your love story.

People find themselves above criticism, judgment, and the feeling of anger when they are in love. The sensible feeling can come at any moment. You can be in the car and never know how and when love knocks the doors of your heart.

If you are in love, you have the blessing of love. No person in this world is far from the grace of God, so if there is no one in your life, do not feel that you are far from the grace of God. God loves you.

Love is essential for a person’s emotional well-being. Growing up in a loving environment helps someone to become an emotionally healthy adolescent and adult, while a lack of love or living in an unloved family or surroundings can negatively affect the long-term emotional well-being.

No matter what happens in your life, it can always change the situation for the better with support of love.

If someone has grown up with a lack of family love or is having family problems, we can do several things to improve and protect the emotional well-being.

Some of these things include seeing a counselor online or in person, choosing your own family and putting yourself first, instead of letting others overthrow you.

Our family shapes us, but if you received a bad hand, it does not mean that you cannot take things into your own hands and create the change you deserve.

Love is patient; love is kind. Not envious, not proud. It is not selfish: It does not keep any error records: It does not dishonor others; it is not easily irritated.

Love does not delight in evil, but enjoys the truth. It always hopes, always trusts protect, and always perseveres. Love never fails. I hope you loved this essay on love.

Before You Write a Love Essay, Read This to Get Examples

The day will come when you can’t escape the fate of all students: You will have to write a what is love essay.

No worries:

Here you’ll find tons of love essay topics and examples. No time to read everything? Scroll down to get a free PDF with original samples.

Definition: Essay on Love

First, let’s define what is love essay?

The most common topics are:

Definition of love
What is love?
Meaning of love

Why limit yourself to these hackneyed, general themes? Below, I’ll show how to make your paper on love original yet relevant to the prompt you get from teachers.

Love Essay Topics: 20 Ideas to Choose for Your Paper

Your essay on love and relationship doesn’t have to be super official and unemotional. It’s ok to share reflections and personal opinions when writing about romance.

Often, students get a general task to write an essay on love. It means they can choose a theme and a title for their paper. If that’s your case, feel free to try any of these love essay topics:

Exploring the impact of love on individuals and relationships.
Love in the digital age: Navigating romance in a tech world.
Is there any essence and significance in unconditional love?
Love as a universal language: Connecting hearts across cultures.
Biochemistry of love: Exploring the process.
Love vs. passion vs. obsession.
How love helps cope with heartbreak and grief.
The art of loving. How we breed intimacy and trust.
The science behind attraction and attachment.
How love and relationships shape our identity and help with self-discovery.
Love and vulnerability: How to embrace emotional openness.
Romance is more complex than most think: Passion, intimacy, and commitment explained.
Love as empathy: Building sympathetic connections in a cruel world.
Evolution of love. How people described it throughout history.
The role of love in mental and emotional well-being.
Love as a tool to look and find purpose in life.
Welcoming diversity in relations through love and acceptance.
Love vs. friendship: The intersection of platonic and romantic bonds.
The choices we make and challenges we overcome for those we love.
Love and forgiveness: How its power heals wounds and strengthens bonds.

Love Essay Examples: Choose Your Sample for Inspiration

Essays about love are usually standard, 5-paragraph papers students write in college:

One paragraph is for an introduction, with a hook and a thesis statement
Three are for a body, with arguments or descriptions
One last passage is for a conclusion, with a thesis restatement and final thoughts

Below are the ready-made samples to consider. They’ll help you see what an essay about love with an introduction, body, and conclusion looks like.

What is love essay: 250 words

Lao Tzu once said, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Indeed, love can transform individuals, relationships, and our world.

A word of immense depth and countless interpretations, love has always fascinated philosophers, poets, and ordinary individuals. This emotion breaks boundaries and has a super power to change lives. But what is love, actually?

It’s a force we feel in countless ways. It is the warm embrace of a parent, filled with care and unwavering support. It is the gentle touch of a lover, sparking a flame that ignites passion and desire. Love is the kind words of a friend, offering solace and understanding in times of need. It is the selfless acts of compassion and empathy that bind humanity together.

Love is not confined to romantic relationships alone. It is found in the family bonds, the connections we forge with friends, and even the compassion we extend to strangers. Love is a thread that weaves through the fabric of our lives, enriching and nourishing our souls.

However, love is not without its complexities. It can be both euphoric and agonizing, uplifting and devastating. Love requires vulnerability, trust, and the willingness to embrace joy and pain. It is a delicate balance between passion and compassion, independence and interdependence.

Finally, the essence of love may be elusive to define with mere words. It is an experience that surpasses language and logic, encompassing a spectrum of emotions and actions. Love is a profound connection that unites us all, reminding us of our shared humanity and the capacity for boundless compassion.

What is love essay: 500 words

A 500-word essay on why I love you

Trying to encapsulate why I love you in a mere 500 words is impossible. My love for you goes beyond the confines of language, transcending words and dwelling in the realm of emotions, connections, and shared experiences. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to express the depth and breadth of my affection for you.

First and foremost, I love you for who you are. You possess a unique blend of qualities and characteristics that captivate my heart and mind. Your kindness and compassion touch the lives of those around you, and I am grateful to be the recipient of your unwavering care and understanding. Your intelligence and wit constantly challenge me to grow and learn, stimulating my mind and enriching our conversations. You have a beautiful spirit that radiates warmth and joy, and I am drawn to your vibrant energy.

I love the way you make me feel. When I am with you, I feel a sense of comfort and security that allows me to be my true self. Your presence envelops me in a cocoon of love and acceptance, where I can express my thoughts, fears, and dreams without fear of judgment. Your support and encouragement inspire me to pursue my passions and overcome obstacles. With you by my side, I feel empowered to face the world, knowing I have a partner who believes in me.

I love the memories we have created together. From the laughter-filled moments of shared adventures to the quiet and intimate conversations, every memory is etched in my heart. Whether exploring new places, indulging in our favorite activities, or simply enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence, each experience reinforces our bond. Our shared memories serve as a foundation for our relationship, a testament to the depth of our connection and the love that binds us.

I love your quirks and imperfections. Your true essence shines through these unique aspects! Your little traits make me smile and remind me of the beautiful individual you are. I love how you wrinkle your nose when you laugh, become lost in thought when reading a book, and even sing off-key in the shower. These imperfections make you human, relatable, and utterly lovable.

I love the future we envision together. We support each other’s goals, cheering one another on as we navigate the path toward our dreams. The thought of building a life together, creating a home filled with love and shared experiences, fills my heart with anticipation and excitement. The future we imagine is one that I am eager to explore with you by my side.

In conclusion, the reasons why I love you are as vast and varied as the universe itself. It is a love that defies logic and surpasses the limitations of language. From the depths of my being, I love you for the person you are, the way you make me feel, the memories we cherish, your quirks and imperfections, and the future we envision together. My love for you is boundless, unconditional, and everlasting.

A 5-paragraph essay about love

I’ve gathered all the samples (and a few bonus ones) in one PDF. It’s free to download. So, you can keep it at hand when the time comes to write a love essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay About Love?

Now that you know the definition of a love essay and have many topic ideas, it’s time to write your A-worthy paper! Here go the steps:

Check all the examples of what is love essay from this post.
Choose the topic and angle that fits your prompt best.
Write your original and inspiring story.

Any questions left? Our writers are all ears. Please don’t hesitate to ask!

Essay samples
Essay writing
Writing tips

Essay on Bicycle

500 words essay on bicycle.

A bicycle is a useful vehicle that helps us reach a destination without polluting the environment. It is composed of steel and has two wheels. In addition, it has got a seat and handle with two pedals and also a bell. Some bicycles have a carrier while some don’t. It is a popular choice amongst poor people and students . Essay on bicycle will help us understand its importance.

Importance of Bicycle

Bicycles have become even more important in recent times. While they have been offering us many advantages for a long time, they are very vital now. It is because of the rate at which pollution is growing in the world, they offer a greener way to commute.

In other words, bicycles do not require any petrol or diesel which harms our atmosphere. Further, it does not leave a carbon footprint as well. Thus, it is a great choice for everyone especially those who are environment-friendly.

After that, we see that bicycles do not possess the potential to harm anyone, unlike bikes, cars and buses. If you ride a bicycle, you are less likely to hurt someone or get in an accident as compared to ones who ride bikes or drive cars.

Most importantly, bicycles are great for our health. There are numerous benefits which cycling offers to ensure a healthy life. It is not only a great alternative to gym workouts but also helps prevent cardiovascular diseases .

Therefore, bicycles help to preserve our health. Similarly, they do not harm the environment. Moreover, they are also very beneficial as we can go through narrow roads with a bicycle which we cannot do with bikes or cars.

I have a bicycle which is red and black in colour. My father gifted it to me on my birthday and it is my most cherished present. The name of my bicycle is Turbo Thunder and it has many interesting features.

It comes with different gears and a basket as well. Moreover, it also has a bottle holder and a lock. I cycle every evening with my friends from the neighbourhood. It is very liberating to me to be able to cycle in the pleasant weather without any care.

My father ensures that I always wear my protective gear while cycling to prevent any injuries. I have decorated my cycle with stickers as well to make it more personalized. In addition, I go to my coaching classes on my bicycle only.

Therefore, I love my bicycle and I wish to keep it with me even after growing up. As cycling is good for the environment and our health, I plan to keep cycling for a long time to lead a healthy life and make the environment clean.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Bicycle

To sum it up, bicycles are great in every aspect, whether it is regarding our health or the health of nature. Moreover, it is also not heavy on the pocket. With the world getting polluted at a faster rate day by day, it is essential for us to switch to bicycles for a healthier life and greener future.

FAQ of Essay on Bicycle

Question 1: What is the importance of a bicycle?

Answer 1: Bicycles are very important as they offer us many health benefits if we cycle regularly. In addition to that, it serves as a great workout session. Most importantly, they are great for the environment as they do not pollute it.

Question 2: Who invented the bicycle?

Answer 2: Karl von Drais was a German who invented the first bicycle. He developed it and named it the ‘swiftwalker’ which hit the road in the year 1817. The early bicycle came with no pedals and the frame was a wooden beam. It has two wooden wheels with irons rims and leather-covered tires.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Essay on Cycle

Students are often asked to write an essay on Cycle in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Cycle

The importance of cycles.

Cycles are an essential part of our daily lives. They are a mode of transport that is eco-friendly and healthy. Riding a cycle helps to keep our body fit and active.

Cycles and the Environment

Cycles are environmentally friendly as they do not emit harmful gases. They help in reducing air pollution and contribute to a cleaner and greener environment.

Cycles for Fitness

Cycling is a great exercise for the body. It strengthens our muscles, improves heart health, and enhances overall fitness. It is a fun and effective way to stay in shape.

In conclusion, cycles are not just a mode of transport, but also a means to protect the environment and maintain good health.

Also check:

10 Lines on Cycle

250 Words Essay on Cycle

Introduction.

The cycle, a simple yet profound concept, permeates every aspect of life, from the natural world to human society. It is a pattern of events that repeats in a regular and predictable manner, creating a loop where the end is also the beginning.

The Natural Cycle

In nature, cycles are ubiquitous. The water cycle, for instance, is a perfect example of a self-sustaining system, where water evaporates, condenses, precipitates, and infiltrates the ground, only to evaporate again. Similarly, the carbon cycle demonstrates how the Earth’s life forms exchange carbon amongst themselves and with their non-living environment.

The Social Cycle

In human societies, cycles are equally pervasive. Economies operate in business cycles, alternating between periods of growth and recession. Cultural cycles reflect the ebb and flow of societal norms and values over time.

Cycles in Technology

In technology, the concept of cycles is integral. The software development life cycle, for instance, involves stages like planning, analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance, which are repeated as necessary for continuous improvement.

To conclude, the cycle, as a concept, is a powerful tool for understanding the world around us. It provides a framework for predicting future events based on past patterns, and for managing systems in a sustainable manner. Recognizing and understanding cycles can empower us to make better decisions and create a more harmonious coexistence with our natural and social environments.

500 Words Essay on Cycle

Cycling, a simple activity that dates back to the early 19th century, has evolved into a multifaceted phenomenon with profound influences on society, environment, and human health. Its implications span from being a mode of transport, a leisure activity, a sport, to a tool for environmental sustainability.

Historical Evolution

The invention of the bicycle in the early 1800s marked a transformation in human mobility. Initially designed as a wooden frame with two wheels, the bicycle underwent several modifications over the years, with the introduction of pedals, gears, and eventually, electric systems. Today, bicycles are not merely a means of transport but represent a lifestyle, an ideology, and even a symbol of social status.

Sociocultural Impact

Cycling has a significant sociocultural impact. It is a great social equalizer, transcending the barriers of age, gender, and socioeconomic status. In many cities, cycling communities have emerged, fostering social interaction and community building. Moreover, cycling events like the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia have not only popularized the sport globally but also contributed to the cultural identity of nations.

Health and Wellness

Cycling is an excellent form of physical activity that contributes to overall health and wellness. It improves cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility, reduces stress levels, and enhances mental well-being. Additionally, cycling as a mode of commuting encourages daily physical activity, helping combat sedentary lifestyles and associated health issues.

Environmental Sustainability

In the context of escalating environmental concerns, cycling emerges as a sustainable mode of transport. It is a zero-emission activity, contributing to air quality improvement and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, cycling infrastructure requires less space and resources compared to motorized transport, reducing urban congestion and promoting efficient land use.

Economic Implications

Cycling also has significant economic implications. It is a cost-effective mode of transport, reducing expenditure on fuel and vehicle maintenance. Moreover, the cycling industry, encompassing manufacturing, retail, and cycle tourism, contributes significantly to the economy. It also generates employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite numerous benefits, cycling faces challenges such as safety concerns, lack of infrastructure, and societal attitudes. Addressing these requires comprehensive strategies, including improved infrastructure, safety measures, and public awareness campaigns. The future of cycling looks promising with advancements in technology, such as e-bikes and smart cycling systems, and policy initiatives promoting cycling.

In conclusion, cycling is a multifaceted phenomenon with far-reaching impacts on society, health, environment, and economy. It is more than just a mode of transport or a sport; it is a tool for social inclusion, health promotion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. As we move towards a sustainable future, the role of cycling becomes increasingly pertinent. It is not just about moving from one place to another; it is about moving towards a better world.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Cyber Security
Essay on Cyber Bullying
Essay on Customer Service

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs. Plastic

Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter
Share to Linkedin

Born in 1970, Earth Day has evolved into one of the largest civic events of all time. When we observe the 54 th Earth Day on April 22, the health and safety of the planet couldn’t be timelier, especially when it comes to dealing with the proliferation of plastic.

Over the past 60 years, around eight billion tons of plastic has been produced, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances — 90.5 per cent of which has not been recycled . As a result, this year’s Earth Day theme— “Planet vs. Plastic”— demands a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

Just how big of a challenge is this? What type of numbers are we talking about? Here’s some perspective:

In 1950, the world produced just two million tons of plastic. We now produce over 450 million tons .
Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.
P roduction is expected to double by 2050.
More than one million plastic water bottles are sold every minute.
Every year, about 11 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the ocean.
Only 9% of plastics ever produced has been recycled.
Plastics often contain additives that can extend the life of products, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.

Plastic is literally everywhere

An advertisement from the American Plastics Council in a 1997 edition of the New Yorker suggested that plastic wrappers and containers were the “sixth food group” that were there to keep contaminates out of our food.

Close up shot of microplastics on a hand.

In a twisted type of irony, Microplastics are now in almost everything and everywhere. Even in in much of the food we eat and water we drink! Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic (from ½ inch to microscopic) is synthetic that never disappears. As Stephen Jamieson recently explained in a Future of Supply Chain podcast, “We're ingesting a credit card size worth of plastic every single week as humans, and the real health impacts of that, we don't truly know and don't truly understand.”

What is the world doing about it?

In the Podcast, Stephen discussed the upcoming fourth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee he is attending in Ottawa, Canada from 23rd to the 29th of April. The goal is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, that will, as Stephen stated, “by early next year, actually ratify a new treaty at the United Nations to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040”.

What can businesses do about it?

Think about optimizing your entire supply chain for sustainability, rather than just individual functions.

For example, you may be pulling certain levers in your design processes, or manufacturing plants, only to realize that the sustainability gains in that process are offset by much a much larger negative impact on logistics or at the end of life of a product.

Perform Life Cycle Assessments on your products

A Life Cycle Assessment is a method for the compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle (ISO standard 14040).

In simple terms, it’s a way by which you can understand the sustainability footprint of a product throughout it’s full lifecycle, from “cradle to grave.”

By enabling product footprints periodically across the entire product lifecycle, you can gain insights on the environmental impacts of your products across the entire lifecycle for disclosure and internal product and process optimization.

Design with end of life in mind

As Earthday.org says, “We need to invest in innovative technologies and materials to build a plastic-free world”.

And this starts with how we design products and packaging material in the goods we manufacture and deliver. The sooner we phase out all single use plastics, the better. We need responsible design and production solutions that facilitate a product and package redesign that enables companies to engage in the circular economy and reduces waste without sacrificing quality.

Enforce compliance at each step of the product lifecycle

If you look at most companies’ website for their mission statement or purpose, sustainability is front and center. And supply chain sits right in the middle, both as a major contributor to the problem, and a major opportunity to improve.

But you can’t manage regulatory and sustainability requirements, track registrations and substance volumes, classify products, and create compliance documents, as well as package, transport, and store hazardous materials properly with accurate labeling you won’t be able to measure how you are performing.

This takes a stepwise approach to:

Record: The first step is to gather all necessary ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) data along the entire value chain. This data cannot be found easily in one single system. Currently this is a highly manual and therefore time consuming effort compounded by data quality challenges.

Report: There are more than 600 ESG frameworks/standards out there and they are being constantly developed further (Take the evolving plastics taxes across Europe for example). The requirements for companies are constantly changing. A high effort is required to keep up with the current requirements to report along the respective regulatory & voluntary frameworks.

Act: In many companies sustainability action is already happening but in many cases this this is still partly disjoint from the strategy or not yet covering all business processes

What can we as individuals do about it?

The reality is that everybody has a role to play in the “Planet vs. Plastics battle, and the sustainability of the planet in general.

Little things like using reusable bottles and straws and bringing reusable bags to the store are great first step.

You can also go to earthday.org to learn more about the battle between planet vs. plastics, and find an event near you where you can help clean up the planet.

Let’s make every day Earth Day, to protect this beautiful rock we live on for future generations.

To learn more, listen to The Future of Supply Chain Podcast – Earth vs. Planet .

Editorial Standards
Reprints & Permissions

Share full article

Supported by

Guest Essay

The Troubling Trend in Teenage Sex

A pile of bed linens on a night stand next to a bed.

By Peggy Orenstein

Ms. Orenstein is the author of “Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent and Navigating the New Masculinity” and “Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape.”

Debby Herbenick is one of the foremost researchers on American sexual behavior. The director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University and the author of the pointedly titled book “Yes, Your Kid,” she usually shares her data, no matter how explicit, without judgment. So I was surprised by how concerned she seemed when we checked in on Zoom recently: “I haven’t often felt so strongly about getting research out there,” she told me. “But this is lifesaving.”

For the past four years, Dr. Herbenick has been tracking the rapid rise of “rough sex” among college students, particularly sexual strangulation, or what is colloquially referred to as choking. Nearly two-thirds of women in her most recent campus-representative survey of 5,000 students at an anonymized “major Midwestern university” said a partner had choked them during sex (one-third in their most recent encounter). The rate of those women who said they were between the ages 12 and 17 the first time that happened had shot up to 40 percent from one in four.

As someone who’s been writing for well over a decade about young people’s attitudes and early experience with sex in all its forms, I’d also begun clocking this phenomenon. I was initially startled in early 2020 when, during a post-talk Q. and A. at an independent high school, a 16-year-old girl asked, “How come boys all want to choke you?” In a different class, a 15-year-old boy wanted to know, “Why do girls all want to be choked?” They do? Not long after, a college sophomore (and longtime interview subject) contacted me after her roommate came home in tears because a hookup partner, without warning, had put both hands on her throat and squeezed.

I started to ask more, and the stories piled up. Another sophomore confided that she enjoyed being choked by her boyfriend, though it was important for a partner to be “properly educated” — pressing on the sides of the neck, for example, rather than the trachea. (Note: There is no safe way to strangle someone.) A male freshman said “girls expected” to be choked and, even though he didn’t want to do it, refusing would make him seem like a “simp.” And a senior in high school was angry that her friends called her “vanilla” when she complained that her boyfriend had choked her.

Sexual strangulation, nearly always of women in heterosexual pornography, has long been a staple on free sites, those default sources of sex ed for teens . As with anything else, repeat exposure can render the once appalling appealing. It’s not uncommon for behaviors to be normalized in porn, move within a few years to mainstream media, then, in what may become a feedback loop, be adopted in the bedroom or the dorm room.

Choking, Dr. Herbenick said, seems to have made that first leap in a 2008 episode of Showtime’s “Californication,” where it was still depicted as outré, then accelerated after the success of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” By 2019, when a high school girl was choked in the pilot of HBO’s “Euphoria,” it was standard fare. A young woman was choked in the opener of “The Idol” (again on HBO and also, like “Euphoria,” created by Sam Levinson; what’s with him ?). Ali Wong plays the proclivity for laughs in a Netflix special, and it’s a punchline in Tina Fey’s new “Mean Girls.” The chorus of Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for six nonconsecutive weeks this winter and has been viewed over 99 million times on YouTube, starts with, “I’m vanilla, baby, I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby.” How-to articles abound on the internet, and social media algorithms feed young people (but typically not their unsuspecting parents) hundreds of #chokemedaddy memes along with memes that mock — even celebrate — the potential for hurting or killing female partners.

I’m not here to kink-shame (or anything-shame). And, anyway, many experienced BDSM practitioners discourage choking, believing it to be too dangerous. There are still relatively few studies on the subject, and most have been done by Dr. Herbenick and her colleagues. Reports among adolescents are now trickling out from the United Kingdom , Australia , Iceland , New Zealand and Italy .

Twenty years ago, sexual asphyxiation appears to have been unusual among any demographic, let alone young people who were new to sex and iffy at communication. That’s changed radically in a short time, with health consequences that parents, educators, medical professionals, sexual consent advocates and teens themselves urgently need to understand.

Sexual trends can spread quickly on campus and, to an extent, in every direction. But, at least among straight kids, I’ve sometimes noticed a pattern: Those that involve basic physical gratification — like receiving oral sex in hookups — tend to favor men. Those that might entail pain or submission, like choking, are generally more for women.

So, while undergrads of all genders and sexualities in Dr. Herbenick’s surveys report both choking and being choked, straight and bisexual young women are far more likely to have been the subjects of the behavior; the gap widens with greater occurrences. (In a separate study , Dr. Herbenick and her colleagues found the behavior repeated across the United States, particularly for adults under 40, and not just among college students.) Alcohol may well be involved, and while the act is often engaged in with a steady partner, a quarter of young women said partners they’d had sex with on the day they’d met also choked them.

Either way, most say that their partners never or only sometimes asked before grabbing their necks. For many, there had been moments when they couldn’t breathe or speak, compromising the ability to withdraw consent, if they’d given it. No wonder that, in a separate study by Dr. Herbenick, choking was among the most frequently listed sex acts young women said had scared them, reporting that it sometimes made them worry whether they’d survive.

Among girls and women I’ve spoken with, many did not want or like to be sexually strangled, though in an otherwise desired encounter they didn’t name it as assault . Still, a sizable number were enthusiastic; they requested it. It is exciting to feel so vulnerable, a college junior explained. The power dynamic turns her on; oxygen deprivation to the brain can trigger euphoria.

That same young woman, incidentally, had never climaxed with a partner: While the prevalence of choking has skyrocketed, rates of orgasm among young women have not increased, nor has the “orgasm gap” disappeared among heterosexual couples. “It indicates they’re not doing other things to enhance female arousal or pleasure,” Dr. Herbenick said.

When, for instance, she asked one male student who said he choked his partner whether he’d ever tried using a vibrator instead, he recoiled. “Why would I do that?” he asked.

Perhaps, she responded, because it would be more likely to produce orgasm without risking, you know, death.

In my interviews, college students have seen male orgasm as a given; women’s is nice if it happens, but certainly not expected or necessarily prioritized (by either partner). It makes sense, then, that fulfillment would be less the motivator for choking than appearing adventurous or kinky. Such performances don’t always feel good.

“Personally, my hypothesis is that this is one of the reasons young people are delaying or having less sex,” Dr. Herbenick said. “Because it’s uncomfortable and weird and scary. At times some of them literally think someone is assaulting them but they don’t know. Those are the only sexual experiences for some people. And it’s not just once they’ve gotten naked. They’ll say things like, ‘I’ve only tried to make out with someone once because he started choking and hitting me.’”

Keisuke Kawata, a neuroscientist at Indiana University’s School of Public Health, was one of the first researchers to sound the alarm on how the cumulative, seemingly inconsequential, sub-concussive hits football players sustain (as opposed to the occasional hard blow) were key to triggering C.T.E., the degenerative brain disease. He’s a good judge of serious threats to the brain. In response to Dr. Herbenick’s work, he’s turning his attention to sexual strangulation. “I see a similarity” to C.T.E., he told me, “though the mechanism of injury is very different.” In this case, it is oxygen-blocking pressure to the throat, frequently in light, repeated bursts of a few seconds each.

Strangulation — sexual or otherwise — often leaves few visible marks and can be easily overlooked as a cause of death. Those whose experiences are nonlethal rarely seek medical attention, because any injuries seem minor: Young women Dr. Herbenick studied mostly reported lightheadedness, headaches, neck pain, temporary loss of coordination and ear ringing. The symptoms resolve, and all seems well. But, as with those N.F.L. players, the true effects are silent, potentially not showing up for days, weeks, even years.

According to the American Academy of Neurology, restricting blood flow to the brain, even briefly, can cause permanent injury, including stroke and cognitive impairment. In M.R.I.s conducted by Dr. Kawata and his colleagues (including Dr. Herbenick, who is a co-author of his papers on strangulation), undergraduate women who have been repeatedly choked show a reduction in cortical folding in the brain compared with a never-choked control group. They also showed widespread cortical thickening, an inflammation response that is associated with elevated risk of later-onset mental illness. In completing simple memory tasks, their brains had to work far harder than the control group, recruiting from more regions to achieve the same level of accuracy.

The hemispheres in the choked group’s brains, too, were badly skewed, with the right side hyperactive and the left underperforming. A similar imbalance is associated with mood disorders — and indeed in Dr. Herbenick’s surveys girls and women who had been choked were more likely than others (or choked men) to have experienced overwhelming anxiety, as well as sadness and loneliness, with the effect more pronounced as the incidence rose: Women who had experienced more than five instances of choking were two and a half times as likely as those who had never been choked to say they had been so depressed within the previous 30 days they couldn’t function. Whether girls and women with mental health challenges are more likely to seek out (or be subjected to) choking, choking causes mood disorders, or some combination of the two is still unclear. But hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation — judging by what research has shown about other types of traumatic brain injury — could be a contributing factor. Given the soaring rates of depression and anxiety among young women, that warrants concern.

Now consider that every year Dr. Herbenick has done her survey, the number of females reporting extreme effects from strangulation (neck swelling, loss of consciousness, losing control of urinary function) has crept up. Among those who’ve been choked, the rate of becoming what students call “cloudy” — close to passing out, but not crossing the line — is now one in five, a huge proportion. All of this indicates partners are pressing on necks longer and harder.

The physical, cognitive and psychological impacts of sexual choking are disturbing. So is the idea that at a time when women’s social, economic, educational and political power are in ascent (even if some of those rights may be in jeopardy), when #MeToo has made progress against harassment and assault, there has been the popularization of a sex act that can damage our brains, impair intellectual functioning, undermine mental health, even kill us. Nonfatal strangulation, one of the most significant indicators that a man will murder his female partner (strangulation is also one of the most common methods used for doing so), has somehow been eroticized and made consensual, at least consensual enough. Yet, the outcomes are largely the same: Women’s brains and bodies don’t distinguish whether they are being harmed out of hate or out of love.

By now I’m guessing that parents are curled under their chairs in a fetal position. Or perhaps thinking, “No, not my kid!” (see: title of Dr. Herbenick’s book above, which, by the way, contains an entire chapter on how to talk to your teen about “rough sex”).

I get it. It’s scary stuff. Dr. Herbenick is worried; I am, too. And we are hardly some anti-sex, wait-till-marriage crusaders. But I don’t think our only option is to wring our hands over what young people are doing.

Parents should take a beat and consider how they might give their children relevant information in a way that they can hear it. Maybe reiterate that they want them to have a pleasurable sex life — you have already said that, right? — and also want them to be safe. Tell them that misinformation about certain practices, including choking, is rampant, that in reality it has grave health consequences. Plus, whether or not a partner initially requested it, if things go wrong, you’re generally criminally on the hook.

Dr. Herbenick suggests reminding them that there are other, lower-risk ways to be exploratory or adventurous if that is what they are after, but it would be wisest to delay any “rough sex” until they are older and more skilled at communicating. She offers language when negotiating with a new partner, such as, “By the way, I’m not comfortable with” — choking, or other escalating behaviors such as name-calling, spitting and genital slapping — “so please don’t do it/don’t ask me to do it to you.” They could also add what they are into and want to do together.

I’d like to point high school health teachers to evidence-based porn literacy curricula, but I realize that incorporating such lessons into their classrooms could cost them their jobs. Shafia Zaloom, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, recommends, if that’s the case, grounding discussions in mainstream and social media. There are plenty of opportunities. “You can use it to deconstruct gender norms, power dynamics in relationships, ‘performative’ trends that don’t represent most people’s healthy behaviors,” she said, “especially depictions of people putting pressure on someone’s neck or chest.”

I also know that pediatricians, like other adults, struggle when talking to adolescents about sex (the typical conversation, if it happens, lasts 40 seconds). Then again, they already caution younger children to use a helmet when they ride a bike (because heads and necks are delicate!); they can mention that teens might hear about things people do in sexual situations, including choking, then explain the impact on brain health and why such behavior is best avoided. They should emphasize that if, for any reason — a fall, a sports mishap or anything else — a young person develops symptoms of head trauma, they should come in immediately, no judgment, for help in healing.

The role and responsibility of the entertainment industry is a tangled knot: Media reflects behavior but also drives it, either expanding possibilities or increasing risks. There is precedent for accountability. The European Union now requires age verification on the world’s largest porn sites (in ways that preserve user privacy, whatever that means on the internet); that discussion, unsurprisingly, had been politicized here. Social media platforms have already been pushed to ban content promoting eating disorders, self-harm and suicide — they should likewise be pressured to ban content promoting choking. Traditional formats can stop glamorizing strangulation, making light of it, spreading false information, using it to signal female characters’ complexity or sexual awakening. Young people’s sexual scripts are shaped by what they watch, scroll by and listen to — unprecedentedly so. They deserve, and desperately need, models of interactions that are respectful, communicative, mutual and, at the very least, safe.

Peggy Orenstein is the author of “Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent and Navigating the New Masculinity” and “Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

An earlier version of this article misstated the network on which “Californication” first appeared. It is Showtime, not HBO. The article also misspelled a book and film title. It is “Fifty Shades of Grey,” not “Fifty Shades of Gray.”

How we handle corrections

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Former civil servant says ‘racism in Cabinet Office’ forced her to resign

Rowaa Ahmar’s claims were made in the court papers of a discrimination case against the Cabinet Office

A former senior civil servant has said in court papers that “a hostile racist working environment” in the Cabinet Office meant she was “forced to resign”.

Rowaa Ahmar, who has now withdrawn a discrimination case against the Cabinet Office, said that “the racism within the Cabinet Office appeared to be unrelenting and systemic” and claimed that she was frozen out of ministerial meetings after complaining about it.

Ahmar, who is of Egyptian and French dual heritage, was head of policy at the illegal migration taskforce, which was convened to tackle the arrival of small boats across the Channel. She said that she was unwelcome at discussions about sending people to Rwanda because she was not onboard with the “racist ultra-hostility” of their policy proposals.

An employment tribunal hearing against the Cabinet Office and senior civil servants began on Monday but the case was withdrawn on Wednesday. Ahmar had lodged two claims arguing she was subject to “direct discrimination and harassment on the grounds of her sex and race” as well as “victimisation”.

The Cabinet Office said her claims were “completely unfounded” and noted that Ahmar had withdrawn the case with no payment made.

Ahmar said that at the taskforce she tried to focus small boats policy on criminal gangs and “to add constructively to the debate and to move it away from prejudice and blame”, but managers “were onboard for the racist ultra-hostility which a boomerang (‘no returns’) policy would involve, and they saw me as [an] unwelcome visitor to their taskforce”.

She disagreed with civil service directors who she said viewed the “ultra-hostile environment” as “practical, necessary and gratifying”.

Ahmar said in her claim that she first took a secondment from the Treasury to become a chief of staff ahead of Cop26, before being ordered to leave the climate summit early after complaining of bullying and harassment.

In an internal investigation it was found that a “bullying, harassment and discrimination” complaint she brought against a manager was “partially upheld”, with behaviour that “amounted to bullying”, but that there was “no malice” and it was an issue of communication.

After being sent back early from Cop26 in November 2021, Ahmar took up a role at the illegal migration taskforce in January 2022.

It was while at the taskforce that she said she was increasingly blocked from meetings and then told that her secondment from the Treasury was ending abruptly for “poor behaviour”. She said they told her it was for bullying someone who wished to remain anonymous.

Ahmar said in the papers: “I believe that speaking up against racism was a career death sentence at the [taskforce].”

She believes her HR file was “red-flagged” in the new role as she had brought a race and bullying, harassment and discrimination complaint. The Cabinet Office argued in documents that her behaviour in the first six weeks at the taskforce was “negative and problematic, leading colleagues to feel overburdened, disrespected or undermined” and “received concerns” that the behaviour “amounted to bullying”.

The tribunal judge, Richard Nicolle, ruled on Thursday that details of the documents could be published after a successful application by news organisations led by the Guardian.

In court papers she accused the head of the civil service, Simon Case, of showing a “lack of support” and “cold-shouldering” her allegations of racism and harassment after she resigned.

after newsletter promotion

She said in the claim she was “harassed, discriminated against, victimised” and that other white staff were not subject to the same treatment.

The cabinet secretary and two of the other named officials – Alex Chisholm, the permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office, and Sarah Harrison, the chief operating officer – were all accused of being “untrustworthy” over how they dealt with her complaints. Tribunal documents show Case and the two other officials argued they played only “minor roles”, and the judge accepted this.

She said she had enjoyed her time at the Treasury and excelled there but, quoting from her resignation letter in the papers, Ahmar said she had a “terrible experience at the Cabinet Office”, where she claimed she was “racially bullied and victimised, and worked in a very hostile working environment”.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “These allegations are completely unfounded and the Cabinet Office has always firmly denied all of the claims in this case. We were prepared to robustly defend them in court.

“The claimant has withdrawn all of these claims and we have agreed to that. No payment has been made, including in relation to the legal costs incurred.”

Ahmar’s solicitor, Lawrence Davies, of Equal Justice solicitors, said in a statement afterwards: “The claims raised important issues of public interest about alleged sexism and racism at the Cabinet Office. The department who polices the standards of the entire service and plays a central role in advising ministers.

“The claimant believes that senior management must begin to become fully accountable for their conduct. The claimant bravely brought these matters to tribunal and hoped to inspire senior management and HR change at the Cabinet Office by her action. She did not wish to litigate but was left with no other option. She stands by her allegations of race and sex discrimination as set out in her claim.”

Civil service

More on this story

Ministerial code completely inadequate, civil servants’ unions tell MPs

UK civil service staff turnover ‘worryingly’ high amid fall in morale

Calls for investigation into complaints of ‘toxic’ sexual behaviour at MoD

UK’s top civil servant said government looked like ‘tragic joke’ during pandemic

Tributes paid to government data scientist killed in cycle crash in Italy

Bob Kerslake, former head of the UK civil service, dies aged 68

New guidance needed to stop ministers putting friends on Whitehall boards

UK ministers back down and offer civil servants £1,500 to end pay row

Tory ‘ideological war’ on civil servants sees morale plumb new depths

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Electric field distribution regulation of zinc anode toward long cycle life zinc metal battery.

Zinc ion batteries are expected to be the next generation of rechargeable aqueous metal ion batteries, but their application is limited by its severe dendrite growth caused by inhomogeneous plating during the plating/stripping process. Herein, we designed a zigzag structured Zn anode using a simple hydrochloric acid etching method to regulate the electric field distribution on the surface. It is shown by finite element simulations that zigzag Zn anode surface allows for a more uniform current distribution during cycling, and the symmetric cell can exhibit a small overpotential of 42.1 mV under 0.5 mA cm-2/0.5 mAh cm-2 cycling condition. Furthermore, the assembled zigzag Zn/V2O5 battery still deliver a high discharge capacity of 305 mAh g-1 and show 83.3% capacity retention after 3000 cycles at a current density of 2 A g-1. The construction of special structured surfaces can offer simple and effective method to regulate the electric field distribution on the surface of Zn anode, leading to homogenized Zn plating process and suppressed hydrogen evolution reaction as well as inhibited dendrite growth, holding great promises for the practicalization of aqueous zinc ion batteries.

This article is part of the themed collection: Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

Supplementary files

Supplementary information PDF (1929K)

Article information

Download citation, permissions.

X. Long, Y. Liu, D. Wang, Y. Nie, X. Lai, D. Luo and X. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. A , 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4TA00629A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content .

Social activity

Search articles by author.

This article has not yet been cited.

IMAGES

Love Cycles by Linda Carroll
The Love Cycle
Essay on Love
What Is a Love Cycle?
Facts About Anything: The Love Cycle
Chapter 11 The Cycle of Love

COMMENTS

Love Cycle by Chinua Achebe
Poem Analyzed by Anastasia Ifinedo. Published Poet. 'Love Cycle' by Chinua Achebe portrays the sun's effect on Earth (and vice versa) as a hardly romantic relationship. The poem describes the couple: the sun, an angry male, and the earth, a tolerant female. Achebe uses personification and symbolism throughout the poem to evoke vivid imagery.
The Love Cycle Poem Summary: A Journey Through the Stages of Love
5. Everlasting Love Growing Old Together. The poem paints a serene picture of two souls weathered by time yet undiminished in their love for each other. They reminisce, savour the present, and dream of the future, their bond unbreakable. The Legacy of Love. Concluding on a poignant note, the poem speaks to the indelible mark left by a lifetime ...
Brief Notes on Love Cycle a Poem by Chinua Achebe
This issue comprises of 8 research papers, some of them are: Posthuman Conceptions, The Wounded Psyche, Language and ideology in Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and more. There are 8 poems with varied themes and 10 book reviews. S L Peeran and Dr. Mashrique Jahan are the authors of this book. S L Peeran has appraised sixteen major ...
Love Cycle by Chinua Achebe / Summary
Love Cycle• Published in the collection Beware Soul Brother and Other Poems in 1971.• Compares the Sun and the Earth as lovers.• Indicates the bond and the r...
Themes in Chinua Achebe Love Cycle
Theme of Nature- The theme of nature gives an implication to various layers of meaning in the poem.It is about the fleeting transition of nature. The poet uses vivid imagery of transitions from daylight sky to moonlight sky. This transition is also symbolical to human relationships where the relationship of bond and love is also a cycle from anger , hatred towards gentleness and love.
Summary of Chinua Achebe Love Cycle
Summary of Chinua Achebe Love Cycle. embrace. Happy lovers. These lines suggest the peaceful and tender moment of dawn, as the sun gently retreats its misty embrace. It symbolizes the end of the night and the beginning of a new day, evoking a sense of tranquility and contentment. The mention of "happy lovers" further adds to the romantic ...
love cycle by chinua achebe
#ilakkiyamliterature #lovecycle #chinuaachebe #audiobook #summary love cycle by chinua achebe is a poem in which the poet shows metaphoric the sun and the ea...
Love Cycle poem
Love Cycle. embrace. Happy lovers. soft-eyed light…. darts of anger. Long. over him. At dawn slowly the sun withdraws his long misty arms of embrace. Happy lovers whose exertions leave no aftertaste nor slush of love's combustion; Earth perfumed in dewdrop fragrance wakes.
Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Love: The Quadruple Theory
Love Cycle. Relationships are dynamic and change as events and conditions in the environment change (Berscheid, 2010). Love is associated with causal conditions that respond to these changes favorably or negatively (Berscheid, 2010). In other words, as conditions change, and these factors become present, love is achieved and if they die, it fades.
Love Cycle, by Em
Love Cycle. I begged you to love me. I screamed for you to notice me. I cried for you to choose me But you didn't Things deemed too important. Friends triumphed over me. Distraction won your attention But now you're here Begging me to love you. Screaming for me to notice you.
SOLUTION: Love cycle analysis
The poem "Love Cycle" by Chinua Achebe was published in 1 971 as part o f the collection, "From Beware. Soul Brother and Other Poe ms." It was then r epublished in the United States as part of the poetry. collection, "Chr istmas in Biafra and Other Poems." It tackles the cycle o f the relationship between a couple.
Why I love … cycling
As cycling becomes more popular, I fantasise a little about just much humans might ride in the future. The idea that we could evolve into part-bicycle is one that pleases me immensely. It pleases ...
LOVE CYCLE (A Poem) by Chinua Achebe
soft-eyed light…. darts of anger. Long. over him. (From Beware Soul Brother and Other Poems - 1971. Published in the United States of America as Christmas in Biafra and other Poems -1971) LOVE CYCLE (A Poem) At dawn slowly the sun withdraws his long misty arms of embrace. Happy lovers whose exertions leave no aftertaste nor slush of love's.
Analysis of Márquez's Love in the Time of Cholera
Another point regarding Garcıa Marquez's selection of this musician relates to the manner in which he sometimes thinks of his writings. The Colombian magazine Cambio (Change) quoted him as saying that One Hundred Years of Solitude is a 400-page vallenato and Love in the Time of Cholera, a 380-page bolero.Bolero is another form of Latin American music, whose dance is also known as bolero.
Cycle of Love, by Vic Evora
Cycle of Love. I. When love begins, sparks fly everywhere. The world spins, in the sky a meteor shower. When love starts, an indescribable feeling. Two starry-eyed hearts, in unison dreaming. Then as love grows, many fairy tales unfold. In rhyme and prose, like romances of old.
Essay
Essay. Love Cycle. "Love is a collection of hearts, ready to give, share and understand. It never fades and never ends. It only reminds us that life is not perfect without love.". This quotation tells us that since birth love is inside us and it keeps on growing as we became older. If there is life cycle, there is also a love cycle.
Love Cycle Poem Essay by Chinua Achebe
Love Cycle Poem Essay by Chinua Achebe | Simplified Essay |Subscribe to our channel@kavitalks64Research Publication and Ethics: (For Ph.D Course Work )1.Rese...
Love Cycle (A Poem) : by Chinua Achebe
LOVE CYCLE.docx - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.
Essay on Love for Students and Children in 1000 Words
Here you will an essay on love for students and children in 1000+ words. It includes significance, different views, friendship vs love, history and more about love in paragraphs. There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment. - Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever.
Essay on Love: Definition, Topic Ideas, 500 Words Examples
A 500-word essay on why I love you. Trying to encapsulate why I love you in a mere 500 words is impossible. My love for you goes beyond the confines of language, transcending words and dwelling in the realm of emotions, connections, and shared experiences. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to express the depth and breadth of my affection for you.
Essay On Bicycle in English for Students and Children
500 Words Essay On Bicycle. A bicycle is a useful vehicle that helps us reach a destination without polluting the environment. It is composed of steel and has two wheels. In addition, it has got a seat and handle with two pedals and also a bell. Some bicycles have a carrier while some don't. It is a popular choice amongst poor people and ...
Essay on My Cycle
My cycle has taught me the importance of balance and control. It has also made me understand that falling is part of learning. I love my cycle dearly. 250 Words Essay on My Cycle Introduction. My cycle, a symbol of independence and sustainability, has been a significant part of my life.
100 Words Essay on Cycle
10 Lines on Cycle; 250 Words Essay on Cycle Introduction. The cycle, a simple yet profound concept, permeates every aspect of life, from the natural world to human society. It is a pattern of events that repeats in a regular and predictable manner, creating a loop where the end is also the beginning.
'Modern Love Podcast': Esther Perel on What the Other Woman Knows
Today, Perel reads one of the most provocative Modern Love essays ever published: " What Sleeping With Married Men Taught Me About Infidelity ," by Karin Jones. In her 2018 essay, Jones wrote ...
Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs. Plastic
Over the past 60 years, around eight billion tons of plastic has been produced, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances — 90.5 per cent of which has not been recycled. As a ...
Opinion
The Troubling Trend in Teenage Sex. Ms. Orenstein is the author of "Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent and Navigating the New Masculinity" and "Girls & Sex: Navigating the ...
Former civil servant says 'racism in Cabinet Office' forced her to
A former senior civil servant has said in court papers that "a hostile racist working environment" in the Cabinet Office meant she was "forced to resign".
Electric field distribution regulation of zinc anode toward long cycle
Zinc ion batteries are expected to be the next generation of rechargeable aqueous metal ion batteries, but their application is limited by its severe dendrite growth caused by inhomogeneous plating during the plating/stripping process. Herein, we designed a zigzag structured Zn anode using a simple hydrochlo Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

The Love Cycle Poem Summary: A Journey Through the Stages of Love

1. The Spark of Attraction

Flirtation and Courtship

2. Deepening Bonds

Overcoming Challenges

3. Commitment and Stability

The Comfort of Familiarity

4. The Inevitable Ebb and Flow

Rekindling the Flame

5. Everlasting Love

The Legacy of Love

Conclusion on The Love Cycle Poem Summary

You Might Also Like

Brief Notes on Love Cycle a Poem by Chinua Achebe

Related Papers

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS

Summary of Chinua Achebe Love Cycle

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

by Chinua Achebe

Quotes of the Day

Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Love: The Quadruple Theory

Introduction

Theoretical Background and Hypothesis Development (The AAC Model)

New Theory (The Quadruple Framework)

Connection or Resonance

Synergetic Interactions of the Four Factors

Respect and Trust

Connection, Respect, Trust, and Attraction

Application of the Quadruple Framework on Romantic, Brand and Parental Love

Romantic Love

Connection and Romantic Love

Trust and Romantic Love

Respect and Romantic Love

Romantic love summary

Parental Love

Connection and Parental Love

Trust and Parental Love

Respect and Parental Love

Parental love summary

Attraction and Brand Love

Connection and Brand Love

Trust and Brand Love

Respect and Brand Love

Brand love summary

Strengths and Advances Made by the Quadruple Theory

Major Challenges for the Theory

Author Contributions

Conflict of Interest

Access over 20 million homework & study documents

24/7 Homework Help

Similar Documents

Ongoing Conversations

Literary Theory and Criticism

Analysis of Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera

PLOT DEVELOPMENT

GENRE AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

THEMATIC ISSUES

SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

ALTERNATIVE READING: FEMINIST THEORY

Share this:

Related Articles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Cycle of Love

Liked or faved by...

Other works by Vic Evora...

Essay on Love for Students and Children in 1000 Words

Definition of Love in One Line

Love is all about

Love felling on Someone

Connection of True Friendship and Love

The Unconditional Love for Love

History of Loves

The grace of God is in love

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Before You Write a Love Essay, Read This to Get Examples

Definition: Essay on Love

Love Essay Topics: 20 Ideas to Choose for Your Paper