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A Home at the End of the World: What is Love?

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Love is an emotion you feel towards your friends, families, coworkers and pets; however, it is an emotion unable to be permanently defined. Love is redefined by the people and revolving situations that make each relationship unique. In A Home the End of the World by Michael Cunningham, the author challenges the emblematic definition of love. Some relationships can be explorative, intimate and platonic, dynamic, or sexual; nevertheless, a trait each relationship possesses is uniqueness.
Our first loves are always one of the most clearly remembered relationships we have ever had because they are the ones in which many different aspects, especially in terms of who we are as individuals, are brought out. The characters go through explorative and influential relationships assisting them in finding their true selves. As this book takes place in the 1960s when being gay was not socially accepted, Jonathan defies the norm at a young age as he realizes he is not straight. Once he grows older, he meets Bobby who has never really figured out his sexuality yet and soon their friendship develops into something much more. They explore their sexuality and Jonathan realizes that although he is confused and worried, this is who he is; despite on the other hand, Bobby realizes maybe this is not where his heart is completely. Love can also be very influential as we are constantly trying to please our partners or loved ones. Bobby had been under the influence of drugs since an abnormally young age because of his older brother who provided him with the drugs and taught him everything. Bobby knew no other way of living in result of growing up around such influences. Jonathan had never tried drugs because he was never exposed to the idea a...

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...and is different in each relationship. Love can be explorative in which the participants find out who they truly are with the assistance of their partner, between friends in which they love each other greatly but not as anything more than friends, and it can also be based off of sexual feelings. Though love is between multiple people, it is felt completely differently by each person whether they are a part of the relationship or not. Therefore, what is your definition of love?

Works Cited

Cunningham, Michael. A Home at the End of the World. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1990. Print.
"Typical." Thesaurus.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
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"Typical." Thesaurus.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Strong." Thesaurus.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Idea." Thesaurus.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
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