Essay on Guilt, Duty, And Unrequited Love - 2223 Words

Guilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love: Deconstructing the Love Triangles in James Joyce’s The Dead and Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure amp;quot;It’s no problem of mine but it’s a problem I fight, living a life that I can’t leave behind. But there’s no sense in telling me, the wisdom of the cruel words that you speak. But that’s the way that it goes and nobody knows, while everyday my confusion grows.amp;quot; --New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle, from Substance, 1987 Most people who have watched a soap opera can recognize that the love triangle is a crucial element to the plot. In fact, the original radio broadcasted soap operas seemed to consist almost entirely of love triangles. The love triangle, for plot purposes, seems to be a†¦show more content†¦At the time, her husband interprets her expression on the staircase as one of amp;quot;grace and mystery†¦as if she were a symbol of something.amp;quot;(Joyce 2028). He was correct, except not in the way that he thought. All the way to the hotel, the lingering memory of that sight of her incites his passion. However, he experiences a terrible upset as Greta tells him about the song and what it means to her. This is the critical moment where Michael, or rather his memory, enters and completes the triangle, although he may have been there all along without Gabriel’s knowledge. To Gabriel, this turn of events casts a different light on his entire marriage to Greta as he amp;quot;t hought of how she who lay beside him had locked in her heart for so many years that image of her lover’s eyes when he told her that he did not wish to liveamp;quot;(Joyce 2035). He wonders amp;quot;how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her lifeamp;quot;(Joyce 2035). Although it is a bit peculiar for one of the members of this bizarre love triangle to reside beyond the grave, we see here that Michael plays a significant role, perhaps altering Gabriel and Greta’s relationship forever, with Greta’s guilt as the instigating factor. amp;#9;As for Sue, in Jude, her guilt operates on a completely different level, a religious one. Like Greta, Sue also had a sick man die after bravingShow MoreRelatedGuilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love2341 Words   |  10 PagesGuilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love: Deconstructing the Love Triangles in James Joyce s The Dead and Thomas Hardy s Jude the Obscure quot;It s no problem of mine but it s a problem I fight, living a life that I can t leave behind. But there s no sense in telling me, the wisdom of the cruel words that you speak. But that s the way that it goes and nobody knows, while everyday my confusion grows.quot; --New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle, from Substance, 1987 Most people who haveRead MoreRomantic, Realist, And Modernist Period1031 Words   |  5 PagesLove, since the beginning of time, has had a place in every literature no matter the time period. The world that we live in is complex and often times, love and reason do not exist interconnect, however, literature acts as the glue in bringing these two elements together. Authors sometimes use the concept of love as a subject for their work, rationally, and carefully using it as a tool in their writing. 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