Characteristics Of True Love

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Recommended: Analyzing a&p by john updike

True love does not happen in a blink of an eye as some might think it does, however, in reality we do not even realize we are in love until a certain moment (Grossman). Infatuation can occur immediately and without any previous knowledge of a person. True love has qualities that infatuation does not have, which is showcased in the poems A&P by John Updike and My Husbands Back by Susan Pinot.
In the first poem, A&P the main character Sammy shows the qualities of infatuation and not true love. Throughout the short story, Sammy watches three girls that come into his job at the grocery store. While he is doing this he is describing them in a purely physical level and the only thing he seems to acknowledge about them is that they are barefoot and in bathing …show more content…

In the poem, the narrator is over stressed and struggling with the troubles that array from everyday life. Her baby was ill with the flu and the fire will not start because the wood is wet and covered with ice. The line “sitting on the couch my spine collides with all its bones…” implies that the narrator is so exhausted that her spine cannot keep her up anymore (Minot). While staring at her husband’s back, she suddenly concludes that he is the man she’s always been looking for. That the moment she sees him all the stress she has felt throughout the day melts away. Overall, she is showing that even when life gets tough she can count on her husband to help her carry the heavy load. True love is about being there for one another and helping each other get through the not so good days. Her husband trying to light a fire for his family is a small gesture that means so much more. The narrator never mentions his physical appearance because with true love that does not matter. In true love that again is showcased by the narrator it is the two souls coming together that is the most

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