A Crazy Little Grotesque Thing Called Love Analysis

A Crazy Little Grotesque Thing Called Love Love in itself is a rather complicated subject and means different things to different people. Carson McCullers, the Georgia born author of numerous fiction and non-fiction works, uses grotesque figures to capture her vision of love, which is spiritual isolation. McCullers declares, “love, and especially love for a person who is incapable of returning or receiving it, is at the heart of my selections of grotesque figures to write about – people whose physical incapacity is the symbol of their spiritual incapacity to love or receive love – their spiritual isolation” as her subject. Due to this type of love lacking the quality of reciprocity, McCullers’ vision of romantic love is portrayed by the positive and negatives …show more content…
McCullers uses Marvin Macy as an example to show the extreme effect it has on someone; ultimately changing their outlook on love overall. Marvin was the beloved to many women in town, even though he did not have a wonderful reputation (27); however, he did not act on this love. He rather stores this love, as McCullers believes the beloved normally does, within himself. When realizing his passion for Miss Amelia at the age of twenty two (27), Marvin was no longer the beloved, but rather become the lover himself. Becoming the lover and Miss Amelia the beloved, he longer had to hide love within himself when he discovered his passion for her, as he would have when he was the beloved of many. The second example of McCullers’ uses is Lymon joining Miss Amelia. His presence in the town not only sparks Miss Amelia’s but also all of the townspeople. Soon after he comes to town, the café opens. The reason Miss Amelia opens the café is the result of him coming to town; which made her feel as if her life has some meaning and is no longer under isolation. The town, along with Miss Amelia, was no longer as isolated overall due