Sometimes Love does not Conquer All
Although love is usually considered to be a universal theme in literature known to “conquer all” it is better categorized as a theme that sometimes results in the ultimate failure of those pursuing it (Mork). The idea that love conquers all in literature is misleading because a large portion of literature opposes this theme. Throughout the readings of this semester, examples of love pursuits that result in failure are seen in “The Quadroons” and Charlotte Temple. Both pieces demonstrate the protagonist falling in love and expecting everything to work out, but this concept is not necessarily true. Outside of literature, love is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person (dictionary.com). However, for love to conquer all, the couple must overcome obstacles rather than just feeling passionate for one another …show more content…
Lisa Le Feuvre writes in her article, “Failure all too easily can be- come a wistful memory of what might have been” (Le Feuvre 7). This quote is relatable to Charlotte because once Charlotte realizes she made a mistake following Montraville she lives in the “what-ifs” of life. Charlotte thinks about her past and what her life could have been like if she were had not followed Montraville to America, rather than trying to find a way home or improve her situation. Instead of going out into the world, she stays at the home Montraville provided her slowly withering away. It is possible that if Charlotte would have tried to make her life better by leaving Montraville that their relationship could have turned to success rather than failure. This is possible because once Montraville realizes Charlotte is gone, he feels remorse for what he has done to her. The reader can infer this when Rowson writes,
Although love is usually considered to be a universal theme in literature known to “conquer all” it is better categorized as a theme that sometimes results in the ultimate failure of those pursuing it (Mork). The idea that love conquers all in literature is misleading because a large portion of literature opposes this theme. Throughout the readings of this semester, examples of love pursuits that result in failure are seen in “The Quadroons” and Charlotte Temple. Both pieces demonstrate the protagonist falling in love and expecting everything to work out, but this concept is not necessarily true. Outside of literature, love is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person (dictionary.com). However, for love to conquer all, the couple must overcome obstacles rather than just feeling passionate for one another …show more content…
Lisa Le Feuvre writes in her article, “Failure all too easily can be- come a wistful memory of what might have been” (Le Feuvre 7). This quote is relatable to Charlotte because once Charlotte realizes she made a mistake following Montraville she lives in the “what-ifs” of life. Charlotte thinks about her past and what her life could have been like if she were had not followed Montraville to America, rather than trying to find a way home or improve her situation. Instead of going out into the world, she stays at the home Montraville provided her slowly withering away. It is possible that if Charlotte would have tried to make her life better by leaving Montraville that their relationship could have turned to success rather than failure. This is possible because once Montraville realizes Charlotte is gone, he feels remorse for what he has done to her. The reader can infer this when Rowson writes,