Male and Female Perspectives of Love (Essay Sample)

Male and Female Perspectives of Love
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Love is defined as a constant or strong affection for a person (Merriam Dictionary). It is a feeling that could arise out of attraction that includes sexual desire in romantic bond. Love can also result from kinship and personal ties. It can also be defined as a warm attachment or devotion. With the above definitions in mind the stories ‘The Trial of Love’ and ‘Hubert and Minnie’ will be analyzed in regards to both female and male perspective of love.
1. The Trial of Love
Mary Shelly’s narratives have many interesting points of analysis. In the short story, the author uses her writing to conceal the reality through male and female characters (Ana, 2011). The story is based on her suspected love triangle between her husband and her stepsister. By use narrative identity, the author can hide details about infidelity and presents the story as a tale of passions and fraternal love.
In the "the trial of love”, Ippolito and Angeline are in love. His father who is unhappy with the son’s choice and demands that the lovers must wait for a year without contact between them so that he can accept their engagement (Ana, 2011). At the end of this period, Angeline discovers that Ippolito has already given up the wait and got engaged to Faustina, almost her sister and a close friend. This disappoints Angeline and pushes her to take the veil in a convent where she had lived for some time. However, Faustina’s marriage to Ippolito does not last for long.
Mary Shelley’s character of Angeline represents personification of goodness since she is serene, quiet and in constant affections. At a young age of twenty two, she has already found love and ready to marry even though she is forced to wait for a year. The author shows the female character as having true love and commitments for their lovers. Angeline had been raised in a humble family and had grown with maternal feelings for Faustina, who was from a wealthy family. Even though the character of Faustina is beautiful, well mannered and friendly, she is egocentric and even spoilt (Ana, 2011). Despite the fact that she is five years younger than Angeline she is ready to marry whoever her father nominates to be her husband. Faustina’s conversation with Angeline shows egotism, and she also exhibits recognition of power over the people who love. This implies that Faustina has the potential to use love as a manipulation tool. Angeline hides her feeling from other people and only shows them once she is alone in the convent. It is evident that love controls Angeline’s decisions and actions.
Mary Shelly used the character of Ippolito to portray fiery and impetuous man who loves ardently and never tolerates opposition in getting his wishes satisfied (Shelly pg.223). Even though he has a strong love for Angeline, the love is not constant, and this portrays male as people with a volatile character. The one-year trial period was a measure of love, a test that Ippolito fails. The relationship between Angeline and Faustina is described as idyllic. Even after staying for two years, they still have a strong bond between them. In addition, the two were not in good terms and Faustina’s character seemed to outshine Angeline’s, who tolerates such vivacity. Angeline feels betrayed by Ippolito because she truly loved him. After Ippolito’s marriage to Faustina, Angeline acts as a motherly figure and her attitude towards the couple can only be described as angelic. As a nun, Angeline believes in forgiving and has true love for Faustina and leaves the punishment for her betrayal to higher forces. Faustina had seen nothing wrong with in selling her close friend for a husband. She neither remorseful nor afflicted to her friend as evidenced by her taking of sister’s preferred choice of husband.
The author portrays female characters as more committed to loving vow than male characters. Despite the fact that it is Ippolito’s father who forced the lovers into the one year trial period, it is interesting that Angelina who is stronger to that obligation. Another incidence is in the case of Faustina and Angelina are not actual sisters, but they are inseparable. The author shows a fictive relationship between the two female characters and it serves to connect them. This explains Angelina decision of writing a letter to Ippolito to save her supposed marriage. The respect and she has for Faustina compels her to use a letter in an effort to avoid losing her lover. It is Faustina who receives the letter, and she ends up confiding in Angelina. This incidence portrays the female characters as loving despite being in compromising situations.
Male characters are portrayed as cold and egocentric. Ippolito’s father does not accept his son’s engagement to Angelina. Instead of congratulating his son on having loved a beautiful woman, Ippolito’s father looks at the negative side of the lady. The one year vow that he makes the lovers undergo was meant to test the lady’s commitment to Ippolito and not the lovers’ commitment to each other. One would expect Ippolito’s father to intervene after his son fails in upholding the vow, but that does not happen. As such, it is easy to conclude that Ippolito’s father expected the Angelina’s love for Ippolito to fade within that time partially because of her background but on the contrary it is Angelina’s love that comes out strong. The author portrays male character as egotistic since Ippolito’s father decides who associates with him based on their background. Apparently, male characters are also shown to lack true love, and motivated by material things such as wealth.
Mary Shelley’s main theme in this story relies on the principle that women definition comes from their relationship with men (Eakin, 2001). Although the bond between women and men is supposed to be based on equality, men are shown to be more superior so as to have the power to give a title to female characters. Angelina and Faustina are faced with challenges to their identities in the story. During the one year period that Angelina is set be engaged to Ippolito, she is forced into silence, and that defines her. Faustina was initially defined by her lineage but that change when she encounters Ippolito. The repairing of their relationship was prompted by a man, and it is evident that a woman’s relationship with a man defines her identity. This could imply that a man does not have to fall in love to have an identity or change his current status.
The author uses a female character in the story to show that love should not be changed easily. This is evidenced by the fact that Ippolito’s marriage to Faustina does not have a happy ending as the couple lived a normal Italian couple life. Faustina is described to console herself with a cavalier servente (pg. 243) while Ippolito is believed to have lead an inconstant, gay and careless life. The marriage was not based on true love because of the male character’s inability to commit and uphold true love. Mary Shelly could have used this character because of the events that had happened in her own life. The male character is shown to have little commitment to love while Angeline who represents the female characters is shown to love more and sincerely. Her forgiveness shows true love to both her close friend and to Ippolito. These are qualities that male characters lack and, therefore, it is easy to conclude that female characters are more loving than male characters. Differences in perspectives of lovers are shown by Ippolito’s interpretation of Angelina’s silence and the actual meaning of the silence (Eakin, 2001). There is clear cut in differences, in perception of actions and actions between male and female characters in the love bond.
2. Aldous Huxley's 'Hubert and Minnie'
In this short love story, male characters are presented to be hostile towards their lovers. John Glamber does not seem to be interesting in conversing with his wife. When Helen Glamber, his wife informs him that Minnie would be passing by for tea his response "Good Lord" (Huxley) shows his disapprove towards Minnie as a friend to his wife. When Minnie arrives for the tea John cannot tolerate her presence and even leaves to take tea in the club. This portrays the male character as unsupportive of lovers’ ideas. One would expect John to show support for his wife since the two are lovers but on the contrary John Glamber seems to be tolerating his wife. When his wife seeks to know more about ferrets when she asks "Is it really true about ferrets?" (Huxley). John responds in arrogant manner, "How on earth should I know." Communication between lovers should cement the bond and John’s lack of interest show male characters as hostile towards their lovers.
John argues that religion and sin were invented by man for the good of a woman. His remarks "….reasons that you would find probably difficult to understand" (Aldous Huxley) portray the male character as chauvinistic in nature. Helen remarks that John knows almost everything. While this may be true, John could have answers to everything just to prove his superiority over his wife. In this case, male characters are portrayed as egoistic and boasting. John further remarks that religion and sin were invented to keep Eve in order. While Adam and Eve are Biblical lovers, John’s remarks show egoistic nature of the male character and he even use religious scriptures to show that the trait could be as old as religion.
Ted further shows egotism in the male character when he describes his cousin as...