Leo Gursky Thesis

The Protagonist in the book The History of Love , Leo Gursky, is an old man who very much has gave up on life. Throughout the book, he continually goes back and forth in his lifetime to relive and show the readers that he is not a lifeless soul and family does matter to him. WIth the many traumatic experiences, Leo discovers life, love and death that mold him into a better man at the end.

Before his life went spiraling downhill, Leo used to co-own a successful business with his friend, which was the highlight of his life. After he sold the business, the loneliness and isolation started to deteriorate him. In the beginning of the book, the bitterness of the protagonist comes out in the first sentence. “When they write my obituary. Tomorrow. Or the next day. I will say, LEO GURSKY IS SURVIVED BY AN APARTMENT FULL OF SHIT. I am surprised i haven’t been”(2). This is an important quote because just as the story begins, the author already reveals what kind of tone and perspective the book will be. It already gives you a tunnel vision of who Leo Gursky and sets the platform for the character to develop and sets a clear path for the reader to acknowledge where the perspective is coming from just by reading the first sentence of the book .“I drank some down and then remembered my plant. I’ve had it for
He learns that death is inevitable by watching the many people he love die. Even though Leo didn’t have a typical relationship with his son, Leo was able to connect with his son on a different level. Things such as the love of literature, being unkempt, and love of learning bond the two more than anything. The author is conveying that maternal Love is love and just because a parent is not involved with the child's life doesn't mean they're a deadbeat mom or dad. There is a backstory to everything, hence no one should judge a situation without knowing the whole