Journal Entry, topic novel 'The Feast of Love-by Charles Baxter' - Essay Example

Toan-Thang D. Vo RHET 1311 Prof. Capper Nichols Oct. 30, 2005 Journal Entry: Charles Baxter’s The Feast of Love Love is one of the most difficult subjects to write about. It is not a black and white emotion. There are no clear cut set of rules in the game of love, since everybody experiences love in their own way. In The Feast of Love, Charles Baxter shows how the expectation of each lover affects their relationship. The author demonstrated a variety of relationships to make his point. Some of the couples were married, some were divorced.

Not all of the lovers were married. Faithfulness and cheating were factors in the relationships. All of the characters had meaningful bonds with their lovers in their own way. Some couples feel love is best expressed by living a traditional lifestyle. Society’s concept of love begins with a perfect family consisting of two parents, children, a white picket fence and a dog. Mothers and Fathers stay together, raising their children. Some couples lives this way happily. The Feast of Love depicts a couple who took this approach.

The Ginsbergs raised three children, bought a house and were content to spend their golden years with each other. Both of the Ginsbergs are also Jewish. Even thought they aren’t practicing Jews, their heritage plays a big role in making them fit together. This idea of love fit them.When couples cannot agree on love, divorce becomes the answer. Bradley, the Ginsbergs’ neighbor, was not married once, but twice. Bradley married his first wife with the belief that love was between a man and a woman.

He never dreamed that Kathryn would leave him for another woman. Kathryn thought if she married Bradley, he would love her the way she needed. When she realized that Bradley couldn’t love her enough, that no man could, Kathryn started noticing women. Kathryn found her love could exist with another woman. Some lovers believe commitment is not a necessary part of love. Bradley’s second wife, Diana, felt this way. She had a long running affair with a married man named David. When she met Bradley and started dating him, Diana felt no need to give David up.

She even saw David after she had accepted Bradley’s proposal. Although Diana avoided David during the couple of months she was married, she never totally put him out of her mind. Though David was still married after her divorce, Diana went right back to him. Marriage was not sacred to her. Being with the person she loved was more important than a piece of paper. Marriage is not a part of love for some people. After Bradley’s two marriages failed, he didn’t really want to go down that path again.

When he found a new lover, they decided to live together. A marriage certificate might have spoiled their happiness, so they were content just being with each other.Love can also go through stages as the couple grows together. Bradley’s employees, Oscar and Chloe views on love changed through out the book. At first sex equaled love for them. Oscar and Chloe brought a very primal aspect to their affair in the beginning. Marriage was an afterthought. Oscar and Chloe did not want to be wild forever.

After they grew older, they wanted society’s idea of love. Oscar dreamed of a big house and kids for Chloe to take care of. Chloe shared his dreams, but thought this would happen in the very far future. Each character in The Feast of Love loved to the best of their ability. None of the participants of these love affairs were right or wrong. Each lover’s emotions were equally important. In the end, the couples had to decide what was best for them. All of Charles Baxter’s characters made their own unique kind of love.

The successful couples seemed to look at love the same way, while the lovers with opposite views broke up. Love is never the same for anyone, not even people in the same relationship.