Love and Lust: Are They Really That Different?
Love and Lust: Are They Really That Different?
Love and lust are two intertwined emotions and feelings involved in relationships. For years couples have argued over the true meaning of each and whether or not both need to be present in order to have a successful relationship. Love is defined as a habit formed over time and Lust is defined as a desire, usually in a sexual way. In “Love, Lust, and Marriage” and “Separating Love and Lust,” the ideas that both love and lust need to be a part of a relationship and that both are vital in keeping a relationship alive are discussed and proven. In both the novel The World According to Garp and the short story Keith, these emotions are explored to see what truly is needed to spend a life time or even a short amount of time together as a couple. Love and lust are different by definition, one is described as a formed habit while the other is described as desire, but lust is truly the foundation to love; this intertwines them and makes the emotions nearly inseparable. The article “Love, Lust, and Marriage,” by Stanley Bernard, delves into the thinking that lust is still present in a marriage even though it’s a “no-no” word. Bernard’s wife called at work one day to ask how he felt about her, he “thought for a moment and then said, ‘I love you and I lust for you’’’ (Bernard). His wife questioned as to why he said lust and he quickly explained that she was “…the sexiest woman [he] knows” (Bernard). This conversation between a married couple shows that the American conception of lust is that it is a bad thing. Many people believe that lust can only be something that breaks up a relationship or that can cause nothing but trouble. Because Bernard loves and lusts for his wife, he is able to not only be kind and endearing, but also able to be passionate and desire his wife. In “Separating Love from Lust” by Gerald McNicholl, he claims that “as long as the lust does not take over the love and become the dominant characteristic; it
Love and lust are two intertwined emotions and feelings involved in relationships. For years couples have argued over the true meaning of each and whether or not both need to be present in order to have a successful relationship. Love is defined as a habit formed over time and Lust is defined as a desire, usually in a sexual way. In “Love, Lust, and Marriage” and “Separating Love and Lust,” the ideas that both love and lust need to be a part of a relationship and that both are vital in keeping a relationship alive are discussed and proven. In both the novel The World According to Garp and the short story Keith, these emotions are explored to see what truly is needed to spend a life time or even a short amount of time together as a couple. Love and lust are different by definition, one is described as a formed habit while the other is described as desire, but lust is truly the foundation to love; this intertwines them and makes the emotions nearly inseparable. The article “Love, Lust, and Marriage,” by Stanley Bernard, delves into the thinking that lust is still present in a marriage even though it’s a “no-no” word. Bernard’s wife called at work one day to ask how he felt about her, he “thought for a moment and then said, ‘I love you and I lust for you’’’ (Bernard). His wife questioned as to why he said lust and he quickly explained that she was “…the sexiest woman [he] knows” (Bernard). This conversation between a married couple shows that the American conception of lust is that it is a bad thing. Many people believe that lust can only be something that breaks up a relationship or that can cause nothing but trouble. Because Bernard loves and lusts for his wife, he is able to not only be kind and endearing, but also able to be passionate and desire his wife. In “Separating Love from Lust” by Gerald McNicholl, he claims that “as long as the lust does not take over the love and become the dominant characteristic; it
Cited: Bernard, Stanley. "Love, Lust, and Marriage." Humanist. 2000: n. page. Print. Carlson, Ron. Keith n. page. Print. Irving, John. The World According to Garp. 1978. Print. McNicholl, Gerald. n. page. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.redsofts.com/articles/read/226/58670/Separating_Love_From_Lust.html>.