Virgil said, Love conquers all things, let us too surrender to love.Most people have experienced the overwhelming feeling of love, thereby understanding that in the end, nothing will stand in its way. Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, Yzierskas Bread Givers, and Hurstons Their Eyes were Watching God, and dorm life show that love truly conquers all obstacles. In The Scarlet Letter, love conquers the pressures of society, while in The Great Gatsby, love overcomes the test of time. In Bread Givers, love triumphs over major differences caused by a wide generation gap and in Their Eyes were Watching God, love overpowers the forces of nature and disease.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hesters love for Mr. Dimmesdale overcomes societys pressure and keeps her from incriminating him as her lover. When the people call for her to Speak; and give your child a father! (Hawthorne, 74) she still refuses to give the name of the father of her child. I will not speak! answered Hester, turning pale as deathAnd my child must seek a heavenly father; she shall never know an earthly one! (Hawthorne, 74). The power of Hesters love gives her the strength to restrain herself even when the crowd entreats her to help her child, if not herself. Even when Dimmesdale, her lover, pleads with her to speak the name of her lover, she does not. If thou feelest it to be for thy souls peaceI charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! (Hawthorne, 73). Hesters love for Mr. Dimmesdale is so powerful that even his appeals cannot sway her in her determination. Hesters love was so mighty that it persisted over all obstacles.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsbys love for Daisy allows him to overcome time, to find her and resume a relationship after college and five years away in the army. Because Gatsby loves Daisy so strongly, and believes that she loves him as well, He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: I never loved you.after she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house--just as if it were five years ago (Fitzgerald, 116). Gatsby wants to fix everything just the way it was before (Fitzgerald, 117). Gatsby loves Daisy so much that time means nothing to him: he thinks that their relationship has resumed right where it had left off five years before. Daisys profession of love enforces this feeling when Daisy went over to Gatsby, and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth. You know I love you, she murmured (Fitzgerald, 122-23). Gatsby and Daisys love prevails against the test of time, when they come together against all odds several years after the supposed end of their relationship.
In Bread Givers, Saras ingrained love for her father wins out over the differences caused by the wide generation gap between them. Even though Saras father called her Schlang! Toad! Wild Animal! Thing of Evil! (Yzierska, 206), she still helped him when he was in need, saying, Ill take you home. Ill see that you get what you need. (Yzierska, 285). Saras father hurt her in many ways because He was the Old World. Sara was the New. (Yzierzca, 207). Saras father
remembered the littlest fault of each and every one of us, from the time we were bornSometimes when Id come home, the mere sound of Fathers voice would get me so nervous that Id want to scream and pull my hair and cry out like a lunatic (Yzierska, 65).
Although Sara and her father had their differences, there were times of connection, of love. When her father tells a story at dinner, All faces turned to Father. Eyes widened, necks stretched, ears strained not to miss a word. The meal was forgotten (Yzierska, 11). To Sara and her family His kind look was like the sun shining (Yzierska, 11). Saras love for her father triumphed over the differences between them.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janies love for Tea Cake overcomes the forces of nature and disease. When a dog bites Tea Cake during the storm and becomes too ill to live, Janie will not put him in the hospital because she loves him fit tuh killAh cant stand de idea us tyin Tea Cake lak he wuz uh mad dog (Hurston, 168-9). Tea Cakes death upset Janie, but she had found love, and that satisfied her. When Tea Cake died, Janie held his head tightly to her breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving her the chance for loving servitude (Hurston, 175). Although Tea Cakes death cut short their visible love, Janies love for him continued. Her love for Tea Cake overcame the trials of illness and the forces of nature to continue even after he died.
Living with Sabrina has shown me that the love between friends can surmount even extreme personality differences. Last fall, Sabrina and I were roommates and did not get along with each other. Sabrina became upset when I left my own desk messy, and I became irate if she stayed up later than I did in order to do homework. However, after I moved to a different room, we developed a good friendship. Now, rather than getting upset when my room is messy, either she helps me clean it, or we go to her room. I, of course, no longer mind if she stays up late for any reason because the light does not bother me. Sabrina and I were able to overcome our various differences because we were such close friends and loved each other.
In The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, Bread Givers Their Eyes Were Watching God, and my own life, love is a powerful emotion that can defeat all obstacles. Love can overcome society, time, a generation gap, nature, disease, and roommate troubles. In our lives and in the lives of others, love is evident. Whether it is between friends, spouses, sweethearts, or adulterers, love is a beautiful emotion that can do much to enhance a persons life by overcoming any obstructions. When times become difficult and problems arise, as long as there is love, times will not always be dark, and solutions will ensue.
