Love In Howard Fast's Short Stories

Love is a common theme in many narratives, however, writers who use this theme as a tool in the progression of their stories tend to cling to it’s cliché and typical form. Howard Fast, on the other hand, in his warped account of a slave revolt in ancient Rome, titled Spartacus, uses love in a more unconventional manner. His main characters all experience and react differently to love which creates, in a sense, a spectrum of the various kinds of love. For the purposes of this paper, we will focus mainly on three important men although there were many others touched by love. Spartacus and Varinia have the most solid and genuine love in the story. Gracchus’s experience with Varinia, although not a very strong love, leads to a change in his heart …show more content…
The questions arises, can there be love unwillingly? Furthermore, can love be brought or forced? The love that Howard presents to us between Crassus and Varinia can barely account for love at all. Firstly, Varinia was Crassus’s slave. What happens when a master wants, not just to have sex with his slave, but to marry her? Surely he could do it. Masters could do anything with their slaves, but what are the social connotations associated with love between master and slave? Crassus is said to be the wealthiest man in Rome. His power is feared by man and we are even told that he succeeds the strength and influence of a Pharaoh of Egypt. Because of this, he was able to offer Varinia anything she wanted materialistically. She was not treated like a regular slave. She was bathed, made to look beautiful, dressed in the finest and most expensive clothes and she was fed the most exquisite food. The only thing that was asked from her in return was love. Crassus wanted love from Varinia, it wasn 't enough that she was there with him but Varinia wanted none of what she was a given. Unlike most women, Varinia was not attracted to the high and fancy life. She could not throw away her love for Spartacus that easily, even if the reward was freedom. She, like her husband, was a simple women who only wanted simple things. I find humor in the writers use of irony in this situation. Crassus could afford anything he wanted. He could make love to any slave girl he chose. He could even make love to Varinia if he wanted to, which he didn 't because he didn 't want to rape her. All these things he could have, yet what he wanted most, the affection from the woman whose husband he was responsible for killing, he could not have. I think it is important to think about why Crassus wanted Varinia in the first place. It is easy to understand why the love between Spartacus and Varinia existed, they