The Love Of My Life Analysis
“The Love of My Life” In today’s society the perspective on love has changed significantly. Every day people’s viewpoints of love are altered by many things in their surroundings such as social media, television, school, and home life. The amount of failed relationships has increased significantly over the years. It is very difficult to grow up knowing the true meaning of love while receiving so many messages that show you that most or all relationships are bound to fail. In the short story “The Love of My Life,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, China and Jeremy are two high school sweethearts believing they are in love but as their lives change drastically the feeling of love rapidly changes to hate and distrust. When everything starts falling
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apart Jeremy learns that the one who he devoted his life to is turning against him. Boyle is trying to reflect onto his readers that when you are so caught up in a “love spell” you can’t always see the faults in one another until people start showing their true colors. As the author opens the story, he drowns the readers with happiness. It seems as though he is trying to prepare you for the worst. Just by reading the first sentence you get an understanding of just how inseparable this couple is. “They wore each other like a pair of socks,”(78) the author states, giving the story a positive and warming feel. The bond of a couple being alike as a pair of socks that you can only pair one sock with its other matching one. After reading the first sentence the author uses a simile of strong emotion right off the bat before having any knowledge of characters or their personalities. Just like any other “teen love story,” these two fantasizers seem perfect for each other but part of me feels as though they are trying too hard as the author states, “she would have played tennis with his father, if it came to it.”(78) This gives the illusion that it was unbearable. This could be a clue or insight into the domino effect of bad things to come.
Although this couple is used to spending an obsessive amount of time together, that time is rarely spent alone. They plan a trip that seems much more glorified than it is. It seems as if they plan this camping trip months ahead of time just for those few nights alone to have sex. The couple is so caught up in leaving for their camping trip that they forgot contraceptive. I find this somewhat humorous for the reason that the author had stated, “They were careful, always careful.”(80) When it is made known that China forgets the contraceptive I feel a sudden rush of anxiousness, the type of “Uh-Oh” moment where you tell yourself that nothing good can come of this. Since this trip is supposed to be about the alone time and the sex, you would think the protection would mean a lot more to them than the books China brings along. As the couple is being careless about there decisions they face a challenge that they would have never expect.
Blinded by the delusion of self-perfection, China and Jeremy never reap the consequences of Mother Nature. Knowing that the author put a twist on the contraceptives Jeremy states, “She was white and round and getting rounder, and it was no joke, and it was no term of endearment.” The author tries to make you imagine what could be coming up next with hidden messages, but revealing the truth right after. China’s ego was her first concern, more than the fact she was carrying a child and she just had to hide it. China imprints her brain with ”Baggy clothes, that was the key,” (81) most mothers would be proud to carry a baby but she sees it as a bother. When China hides her pregnancy its as if she doesn’t even consider herself pregnant with a baby; it’s just something she needs to dispose of. She is unfit to be a mother and never wanted this. She didn’t know what to do and wouldn’t go to a doctor because she was being selfish on account of her reputation.
How can a creature so delicate create such a disastrous and heart wrenching effect?
Jeremy is falling into a deep dark hole of despair. Everything that once seemed so important to Jeremy meant nothing from this point on. “Life in the dorms, roommates, bars, bullshit sessions, the smell of burning leaves and the way the light fell across the campus in great wide smoking brands just before dinner, the unofficial skateboard club, films, lectures, pep-rallies, football-none of it mattered.” (81) Jeremy tries to show how a college student is supposed to be “living the life” enjoying their school but now he has bigger responsibilities and has to give everything up. He will devote all of his time just to help China if he has to; that’s all he cared about was her and that baby. He starts showing how unhappy he is and the author makes a clear understanding of it. When the words, “I love you” are said between two people in a relationship it shows how much people could care about each other. “Do you love me? She whispered. There was along hesitation, a pause you could have poured all the affirmation of the world into. “Yes,” he said finally, his voice so soft and reluctant it was like the last gasp of a dying old man.” (82) If someone was truly in love with the other person they wouldn’t have hesitated, but Jeremy did. His feelings towards China are now changing since she has changed as a person. The person Jeremy fell in love with is no longer the same
girl.
When the time comes, China is feeling contractions and leaves to meet Jeremy at the hotel to deliver her baby. “…It was a mess, everything was a mess,” (82) China says. The author is using imagery to help the readers capture what it is like as she is scrambling to get to the hotel to get rid of this baby. The couple is so distant with each other they don’t even share a kiss like they use to do about nine months ago when one of them walked in the room. The author uses unique descriptions to explain China’s experience so far as he explains, she is in a “Parade of pain”(82). She is having an uncontrollable feeling of torture and discomfort inside of her that seems never ending. Jeremy keeps telling China its okay but his emotions won’t let him stay calm. The way China speaks of the baby sounds like something out of a horror movie. “Get it out of me,”(82) she says, acting as if she was harvesting the devil’s child. Coincidentally, China knows she could possibly become one of those “breeders that bring their puffed-up squalling little red-faced babies to class” and she is going to take every possible measure to prevent that from happening but its not done in the child’s best interest, it’s done in hers. This whole time its been all about China and she is blind to this blessing that she has been given and instead sees it as a burden and major inconvenience. The fear of having some sort of responsibility and leaving her carefree life with Jeremy. “Get rid of it. Just get rid of it,”(83) China says, not wanting anything to do with this child, this living thing that was a part of her, that was inside her. She acts as though throwing this one “thing” away will make all her troubles disappear.
Jeremy discards of this precious newborn in a dumpster just as China wanted without any hesitation or thought to the heinous act that he had just committed. Later on Jeremy is woken up in his dorm room by his roommate and sees a policeman at the door who takes him into custody. Surprisingly, Jeremy is clueless to what is going on. This makes it seem as if Jeremy doesn’t believe he has done anything wrong. Not until half way to the police station does the author state, “Only then did he think of that thing in the garbage sack and the sound it had made-its body had made-when he flung it into the dumpster like a sack of flour and the lid slammed down on it.” (83) This is when he comes to the realization that he has made a terrible mistake and the only choice he had left was to deny it all. At this point, Jeremy lost everything, as the author explained, “his walk, his smile, the muscles of his upper arms and shoulders.” (85) He felt nothing and said nothing, seeming non-existent.
China starts the story by showing how passionate and loving she is toward Jeremy but when the secret unravels to the police and their parents she automatically turns on the person she “loves” and looks out for her own reputation. Later on Jeremy receives a sickening phone call from his lawyer saying, “She never saw the baby, that’s what they’re saying. She thought she had a miscarriage.”(87) Clearly China is lying at this point and shows that she is only out to save her own image; it was always about her image. How can someone so sweet turn around and destroy someone’s life after what they have just experienced? I believe China never loved Jeremy, it was all entertainment and amusing for her to have someone to share her life with and if she did love him she would have never put the blame on him for the decision about the innocent baby.
It is difficult to comprehend how China could deceive Jeremy and still mesmerize about the past, wanting to go all the way back to the beginning when he was all that mattered. That sweet charming young man that she once knew is nothing more than an cold and empty corpse that is the product of her own selfishness and carelessness. As the real picture is painted, it is made clear that their love for each other was nothing more than an unrealistic erotic fantasy. China and Jeremy thought they were ready to take on the world together but when they were faced with a true to life decision, their smoke screen of adult externalities were diminished by their careless and deceitful internalities.
Works Cited
Boyle, T. Coraghessan. “The Love of My Life.” New York: The New Yorker, 6 March 2000. 76-87. Print.
apart Jeremy learns that the one who he devoted his life to is turning against him. Boyle is trying to reflect onto his readers that when you are so caught up in a “love spell” you can’t always see the faults in one another until people start showing their true colors. As the author opens the story, he drowns the readers with happiness. It seems as though he is trying to prepare you for the worst. Just by reading the first sentence you get an understanding of just how inseparable this couple is. “They wore each other like a pair of socks,”(78) the author states, giving the story a positive and warming feel. The bond of a couple being alike as a pair of socks that you can only pair one sock with its other matching one. After reading the first sentence the author uses a simile of strong emotion right off the bat before having any knowledge of characters or their personalities. Just like any other “teen love story,” these two fantasizers seem perfect for each other but part of me feels as though they are trying too hard as the author states, “she would have played tennis with his father, if it came to it.”(78) This gives the illusion that it was unbearable. This could be a clue or insight into the domino effect of bad things to come.
Although this couple is used to spending an obsessive amount of time together, that time is rarely spent alone. They plan a trip that seems much more glorified than it is. It seems as if they plan this camping trip months ahead of time just for those few nights alone to have sex. The couple is so caught up in leaving for their camping trip that they forgot contraceptive. I find this somewhat humorous for the reason that the author had stated, “They were careful, always careful.”(80) When it is made known that China forgets the contraceptive I feel a sudden rush of anxiousness, the type of “Uh-Oh” moment where you tell yourself that nothing good can come of this. Since this trip is supposed to be about the alone time and the sex, you would think the protection would mean a lot more to them than the books China brings along. As the couple is being careless about there decisions they face a challenge that they would have never expect.
Blinded by the delusion of self-perfection, China and Jeremy never reap the consequences of Mother Nature. Knowing that the author put a twist on the contraceptives Jeremy states, “She was white and round and getting rounder, and it was no joke, and it was no term of endearment.” The author tries to make you imagine what could be coming up next with hidden messages, but revealing the truth right after. China’s ego was her first concern, more than the fact she was carrying a child and she just had to hide it. China imprints her brain with ”Baggy clothes, that was the key,” (81) most mothers would be proud to carry a baby but she sees it as a bother. When China hides her pregnancy its as if she doesn’t even consider herself pregnant with a baby; it’s just something she needs to dispose of. She is unfit to be a mother and never wanted this. She didn’t know what to do and wouldn’t go to a doctor because she was being selfish on account of her reputation.
How can a creature so delicate create such a disastrous and heart wrenching effect?
Jeremy is falling into a deep dark hole of despair. Everything that once seemed so important to Jeremy meant nothing from this point on. “Life in the dorms, roommates, bars, bullshit sessions, the smell of burning leaves and the way the light fell across the campus in great wide smoking brands just before dinner, the unofficial skateboard club, films, lectures, pep-rallies, football-none of it mattered.” (81) Jeremy tries to show how a college student is supposed to be “living the life” enjoying their school but now he has bigger responsibilities and has to give everything up. He will devote all of his time just to help China if he has to; that’s all he cared about was her and that baby. He starts showing how unhappy he is and the author makes a clear understanding of it. When the words, “I love you” are said between two people in a relationship it shows how much people could care about each other. “Do you love me? She whispered. There was along hesitation, a pause you could have poured all the affirmation of the world into. “Yes,” he said finally, his voice so soft and reluctant it was like the last gasp of a dying old man.” (82) If someone was truly in love with the other person they wouldn’t have hesitated, but Jeremy did. His feelings towards China are now changing since she has changed as a person. The person Jeremy fell in love with is no longer the same
girl.
When the time comes, China is feeling contractions and leaves to meet Jeremy at the hotel to deliver her baby. “…It was a mess, everything was a mess,” (82) China says. The author is using imagery to help the readers capture what it is like as she is scrambling to get to the hotel to get rid of this baby. The couple is so distant with each other they don’t even share a kiss like they use to do about nine months ago when one of them walked in the room. The author uses unique descriptions to explain China’s experience so far as he explains, she is in a “Parade of pain”(82). She is having an uncontrollable feeling of torture and discomfort inside of her that seems never ending. Jeremy keeps telling China its okay but his emotions won’t let him stay calm. The way China speaks of the baby sounds like something out of a horror movie. “Get it out of me,”(82) she says, acting as if she was harvesting the devil’s child. Coincidentally, China knows she could possibly become one of those “breeders that bring their puffed-up squalling little red-faced babies to class” and she is going to take every possible measure to prevent that from happening but its not done in the child’s best interest, it’s done in hers. This whole time its been all about China and she is blind to this blessing that she has been given and instead sees it as a burden and major inconvenience. The fear of having some sort of responsibility and leaving her carefree life with Jeremy. “Get rid of it. Just get rid of it,”(83) China says, not wanting anything to do with this child, this living thing that was a part of her, that was inside her. She acts as though throwing this one “thing” away will make all her troubles disappear.
Jeremy discards of this precious newborn in a dumpster just as China wanted without any hesitation or thought to the heinous act that he had just committed. Later on Jeremy is woken up in his dorm room by his roommate and sees a policeman at the door who takes him into custody. Surprisingly, Jeremy is clueless to what is going on. This makes it seem as if Jeremy doesn’t believe he has done anything wrong. Not until half way to the police station does the author state, “Only then did he think of that thing in the garbage sack and the sound it had made-its body had made-when he flung it into the dumpster like a sack of flour and the lid slammed down on it.” (83) This is when he comes to the realization that he has made a terrible mistake and the only choice he had left was to deny it all. At this point, Jeremy lost everything, as the author explained, “his walk, his smile, the muscles of his upper arms and shoulders.” (85) He felt nothing and said nothing, seeming non-existent.
China starts the story by showing how passionate and loving she is toward Jeremy but when the secret unravels to the police and their parents she automatically turns on the person she “loves” and looks out for her own reputation. Later on Jeremy receives a sickening phone call from his lawyer saying, “She never saw the baby, that’s what they’re saying. She thought she had a miscarriage.”(87) Clearly China is lying at this point and shows that she is only out to save her own image; it was always about her image. How can someone so sweet turn around and destroy someone’s life after what they have just experienced? I believe China never loved Jeremy, it was all entertainment and amusing for her to have someone to share her life with and if she did love him she would have never put the blame on him for the decision about the innocent baby.
It is difficult to comprehend how China could deceive Jeremy and still mesmerize about the past, wanting to go all the way back to the beginning when he was all that mattered. That sweet charming young man that she once knew is nothing more than an cold and empty corpse that is the product of her own selfishness and carelessness. As the real picture is painted, it is made clear that their love for each other was nothing more than an unrealistic erotic fantasy. China and Jeremy thought they were ready to take on the world together but when they were faced with a true to life decision, their smoke screen of adult externalities were diminished by their careless and deceitful internalities.
Works Cited
Boyle, T. Coraghessan. “The Love of My Life.” New York: The New Yorker, 6 March 2000. 76-87. Print.