Lovers in Literature Response

Stories don’t always say things directly and love often shows up in quiet moments. What stood out to me most this semester was how love can feel like both a comfort and a weight, something that holds people together, but also pushes them apart. In Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants, the love between the American man and Jig feels stuck. Their love isn’t sweet or perfect, it's uncomfortable and difficult. Jig wants to be understood, but the man doesn’t really listen. The silence between them says more than their actual words. It shows how love can fall apart when people don’t understand each other or can’t be honest.

In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien shows a different kind of love, one that comes from fear, sadness, and trying to survive. Lieutenant Cross holds onto his feelings for Martha, not because they make him feel better, but because they help him escape from the war. When one of his men, Ted Lavender, dies, Cross feels responsible and full of guilt. He tries to forget his feelings by burning Martha’s letters, but it does not help. His love, guilt, and memories stay with him, no matter what he does. This made me realize that we all carry heavy emotions with us. Even if we try to hide them, they shape who we are and how we deal with hard times.

These stories stayed with me not because they gave clear answers, but because they didn’t. They made me think about how love shows up during the hardest times not through big actions or perfect moments, but through silence, guilt, and memories that stick with us. Just like the characters, we don’t always get a clear ending or feel better right away. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe love is about dealing with the hard parts, carrying the pain, and realizing that even in the mess, there’s something real. These stories don’t wrap things up perfectly, but they show us the truth about life and love.